The Washington state, American, and Nippon Dynawave flags fly at half-staff while flowers mark a makeshift memorial on old mill equipment in front of Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. for the victims of the May 26 chemical disaster, in Longview, Wash., on May 29, 2026.
Eli Imadali / OPB
The Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers in Vancouver, Washington, is the union that represents the nearly 400 workers who were working at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. when a chemical tank ruptured at the paper mill last month. Eleven employees died, all of whom were union members.
AWPPW has been coordinating relief efforts, including donations, to support and assess the needs of victims and their families. Last week, the union announced it had reached an agreement with Nippon Dynawave to secure full pay until at least Aug. 8 for workers who are unable to or were instructed not to work. Those who are scheduled to work will receive an additional three hours of pay for each shift they work.
A federal investigation into the cause of the rupture is currently underway and being led by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board. Josh Estes, a spokesperson and former local union president at AWPPW, says the union supports the demands for answers and accountability from victims and their families to ensure that a tragedy like this doesn’t happen again.
Estes joins us to share the union’s focus on supporting workers and their families and the importance of this industry to the local economy.
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