The ports in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington were shutdown on Thursday when unionized workers did not show up. At a grain export terminal nearby, around 500 workers vandalized the terminal, smashing windows and dumping grain. The International Longshoremen and Warehouse Union, which represents the workers, says that the strikes were wildcat, and that the union had played no part in them. Workers are upset over the terminal's plan to export grain without reaching an agreement with the union. The company says that the union's demands were to expensive. The union is under a restraining order that prohibits them from blocking entrances, something they could be found to have violated if the union helped coordinate workers. The ILWU says that the ports will reopen on Friday.
See "Union Dispute, Turning Violent, Spreads and Idles Ports", Steven Greenhouse, The New York Times, September 8, 2011