Seattle port signs labor agreements to move development forward

Seattle port signs labor agreements to move development forward The Port of Seattle's governing commission has agreed to enter project labor agreements for two new construction projects in the Seattle harbor.
   The agreements will allow work to move forward on the conversion of the port's Terminal 30 into a container terminal, and the expansion of the port's Terminal 91 as a base for cruise ship operations.
   PLAs set basic terms and conditions for labor for everyone involved in a project, including public sector employers, contractors and subcontractors, and the labor force. Under a PLA, contractors make exact bids and costs are established for labor, including wages and benefits. A typical PLA also includes no-strike, no lockout agreements, as well as procedures for quickly settling any problems or disputes that might develop during the project.
   'Both of these projects are to be built within very strict time constraints,' said John Creighton, Seattle's port commission president. 'There are limitations on when work can be done in the water, for example, and the projects are phased so that both can be ready early in 2009. It is essential that they go forward without interruption.'
   Terminal 30 is being used for cruise ship operations, but the new project will see it reconverted to its original use as a container terminal. When combined with adjacent Terminal 25, it will provide 70 acres for contiguous container use. The terminal has been leased by SSA, which already operates the port's Terminal 18 on Harbor Island.
   Seattle's Terminal 91 has been used as the winter home for the Bering Sea factory trawler fleet. By upgrading the facility, the port will be able to berth cruise ships there for the summer months — from April to October — providing year-round use of that facility. The project will see the construction of two cruise berths with shore power plug-ins available for docked cruise ships.
   Other port projects that were built under the auspices of a PLA include the Bell Street Pier, Terminal 18 expansion and the first phase of the capital improvement program at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.