Tag: <span>Canadian Ports</span>

Dockworkers at the Port of Montreal will reject requests to work overtime beginning Thursday, part of the longshore union’s latest pressure campaign against management during the protracted negotiations for a new contract. The overtime strike will likely add to the ongoing productivity slump at Montreal following last week’s partial strike.

Local 375 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said in a statement Monday that its members will refuse to work overtime starting Thursday for an indefinite period. Union representative Michel Murray said in the statement the overtime strike stems from a current roadblock in contract talks with Montreal’s Maritime Employers Association (MEA) over worker scheduling, among other issues.

“We’re willing to get down to intensive negotiations, but since the employer is dragging their feet, we’re turning up the pressure so that they can put forth the energy needed to find a solution,” Murray said.

Local 375 has been working without a new collective bargaining agreement since the end of 2023. The union and the MEA have been holding talks for a new contract under the auspices of Canada’s Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

The MEA said in a statement that Local 375’s decision to refuse overtime work “has a significant impact on deployed crews and the tasks required for operations.” It formally asked the union to withdraw the move, calling it a “pressure tactic” during negotiations.

Due to absenteeism, sick leave or cargo volumes, longshore work crews frequently need to be filled out with employees who will work an extra shift. It is particularly critical for specialized trades such as crane or equipment operators, who are necessary for an entire crew to work.

Now that overtime will be refused, the MEA said that “employees assigned to shifts with incomplete crews will not be paid.” The organization said that incomplete crews would adversely affect vessel productivity.

“This measure is necessary considering that incomplete shifts will cause imminent slowdowns or even halt operations at the port,” the MEA said. “The MEA reiterates its willingness to continue negotiations.”

‘Climate of uncertainty’

Local 375’s latest move follows a three-day strike its members staged last week against two of Montreal’s largest marine terminals, Viau and Maisonneuve, knocking out about 40% of the port’s container capacity.

One day into that strike, the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) said time-sensitive cargoes such as food, pharmaceuticals and medical products started backing up at the closed terminals. The MPA said the three-day strike caused five ships to back up outside of the port and delayed the handling of some 11,549 TEUs, approximately equivalent to 6,240 full-size containers.

MPA Chief Executive Julie Gascon said the stalled negotiations and resulting labor actions have created a “climate of uncertainty” for shippers using Montreal and that it will have “long-term impacts” on the port’s activity.

“Supply chain reliability is at the heart of port users’ business decisions, and that’s why I’m calling on both parties to return to the table and reassure the thousands of companies that rely on our services to export and import goods crucial to their operations,” Gascon said.

Source:

Angell, M. (2024, October 8). Montreal dockworkers to refuse overtime in latest salvo against Port Employers. Journal of Commerce. https://www.joc.com/article/montreal-dockworkers-to-refuse-overtime-in-latest-salvo-against-port-employers-5745362

The prospect of Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stepping in to prevent Montreal port workers from launching more and wider strikes if they choose to do so after their 72-hour work stoppage ends Wednesday looks dismal.

Trudeau’s Liberal government is in an increasingly fragile alliance with a more leftist — and more pro-union — New Democratic Party. As Trudeau faced a second no-confidence motion in Parliament on Tuesday, the government urged Montreal port workers and their employers to return to the table and said it is monitoring the situation closely.

Knowing that Ottawa will not apply any significant pressure, Montreal port workers have seized on the timing of US East and Gulf coast longshore workers launching a strike Tuesday for the first time in nearly 50 years. Last week, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 375 announced that they would shut down the Viau and Maisonneuve container terminals, which account for approximately 40% of container capacity at Canada’s second-busiest port, starting the day before the International Longshoremen’s Association strike.

The union used a similar strategy in summer 2020, targeting specific marine terminals for three-day strikes before turning to other facilities, allowing — but significantly slowing — cargo flow. Those so-called rolling strikes lasted 12 days and were followed by five days of strikes in April 2021. The Trudeau government introduced back-to-work legislation to end the April 2021 strike.

The last few years haven’t shown any changes in Trudeau’s motivation to intercede. The federal government allowed a 13-day longshore strike at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert in July 2023 before forcing a deal. More recently, Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon didn’t stop the country’s first nationwide strike involving both major railroads since 1987 until the 17th hour.

Notably, Parliament also hasn’t had the resolve to table back-to-work legislation, in part because the Conservatives, historically a stalwart for business, have become cozier with organized labor, according to three people familiar with the matter.

That has shipping executives who spoke to the Journal of Commerce pessimistic about an immediate government response to rising Montreal port worker agitation. CUPE and employers remain far apart on the same issues, namely salaries, wage guarantees and paid vacation in which workers aren’t on call, according to two sources close to the matter.

Details please refer to the JOC news.

Source:

Szakonyi, M. (2024, October 1). Montreal port users not expecting quick intervention if strikes continue. Journal of Commerce. https://www.joc.com/article/montreal-port-users-not-expecting-quick-intervention-if-strikes-continue-5740119

Almost half of the Port of Montreal’s container capacity will be shuttered through the first half of next week as dockworkers there plan to strike two of its five container terminals, the latest move in a long-simmering standoff between the local longshore union and the port’s maritime employers.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 375 sent a 72-hour notice to the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) of its intent to strike, according to a statement Friday from the Montreal Port Authority. The strike will target the Viau and Maisonneuve container terminals from Sept. 30 through Oct. 2, reopening on Thursday.

The two terminals, which can handle a combined 1.1 million TEUs, account for 41% of Montreal’s container capacity. The port’s other three terminals will remain open, the port said.

The strike in Montreal will likely coincide with a strike by longshoremen along the US East and Gulf coasts, who are expected to walk off the job on Oct. 1 in what would be the first coastwide strike in those regions since 1977.

The Port of Montreal said that vessel calls to the two targeted terminals will be suspended, and trucks and rail will not be able to access them. The Viau terminal primarily handles services operated by Mediterranean Shipping Co., while Maisonneuve handles MSC, OOCL and Hapag-Lloyd services.

“Any work stoppage at the Port of Montreal has major consequences,” the MEA said in a separate statement. “With cargo handled by Montreal longshore workers already down 24% since 2022, we have a joint responsibility to secure a singed collective agreement as soon as possible.”

CUPE did not respond to a request for comment.

The strike notice comes two days after members of Local 375 voted to approve a strike. Under Canadian law, unions are authorized to call a strike within 60 days of a vote and must provide employers with a 72-hour notice. The Montreal Port Authority added that it has activated a “business continuity plan to ensure that the pressure tactics that will be used do not harm the rest of port operations.”

The strike also comes the same week Local 375 and MEA sat down in government-mediated talks on a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the one that expired at the end of 2023.

“Although negotiations are continuing, we are disappointed that they have not allowed the two parties to reach an agreement to date, while nearly $6 billion worth of cargo is expected on the Port of Montreal’s docks in the coming weeks,” Montreal Port Authority Chief Executive Julie Gascon said in the agency’s statement. “I therefore invite both parties to continue negotiations in order to avoid a work stoppage.”

It wasn’t immediately clear why Local 375 targeted the two terminals, which are owned by Canada’s Termont International. However, there is a history of bad blood between the two sides. In one incident, Termont managers who had been working at the terminals during a 2020 strike were attacked, with Montreal police having questioned longshore workers about the assault.

Source:

Angell, M. (2024c, September 27). Port of Montreal to face three-day strike against two terminals next week. Journal of Commerce. https://www.joc.com/article/port-of-montreal-to-face-three-day-strike-against-two-terminals-next-week-5737483

The union representing Port of Montreal dockworkers is scheduled to hold a strike vote this week just ahead of another round of mediation talks aimed at securing a deal in a nearly year-long standoff between maritime employers and Montreal’s longshoremen.

The Maritime Employers Association (MEA) said Monday that Local 375 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) will hold a strike vote on Tuesday and Wednesday. The vote coincides with a mediation session overseen by Canada’s Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service that is scheduled to take place Thursday.

While the vote will hang over Thursday’s talks, the MEA said the CUPE still must provide three days’ notice before walking out. If approved, the authorization for a strike will be valid for 60 days from the vote.

“We remind you that no pressure tactics can be exercised before a 72-hour notice is sent to the Minister of Labor,” the MEA said in a statement.

The vote for a strike comes about a year after Local 375 requested mediation in talks between Port of Montreal employers and dockworkers when negotiations hit an impasse. The collective bargaining agreement covering 1,120 longshore workers at Montreal expired at the end of 2023.

The MEA lost a bid earlier this year to have longshore work declared an “essential service,” which would have barred dockworkers from a strike. Montreal was the scene of labor job actions throughout 2020 that resulted in a nearly 11,000-container backlog that took weeks to clear.

Local 375 is reportedly seeking a 20% wage increase over the four-year term of its contract, along with protecting its wage guarantees.

The specter of a port strike in Eastern Canada comes as unionized longshore foremen are still in a standoff with British Columbia maritime employers over a new collective bargaining agreement. And US East and Gulf coast dockworkers are close to launching their first strike in nearly half a century as talks between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance remain stalled.

Source:

Angell, M. (2024b, September 23). Montreal dockworkers to take strike vote as contract talks continue. Journal of Commerce. https://www.joc.com/article/montreal-dockworkers-to-take-strike-vote-as-contract-talks-continue-5733220

Longshore foremen at the Ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert are preparing a strike vote, with the results to be announced after Canada’s labor tribunal adjudicates an ongoing dispute between the foremen’s union and maritime employers about staffing levels at the DP World container terminal in Vancouver.

The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) said in a statement Friday that Local 514 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) “would be conducting an industry-wide strike vote in the coming weeks.”

The BCMEA said the strike vote comes as Local 514 awaits a hearing before the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) about a union proposal on staffing levels at DP World Centerm.

The CIRB hearing is scheduled for August 6 through 9, at the end of which the union will release the results of the strike vote. If authorized, Local 514 will then provide a 72-hour notice of intent to strike.

What’s not clear is what would happen if CIRB rules in favor of the union and then the results of the Local 514 vote call for a strike.

Local 514 has sought to negotiate a separate contract with DP World about foremen staffing and work rules at Centerm following the installation of remotely operated rail-mounted gantry cranes at the facility. The BCMEA’s position has been that a separate contract with one maritime employer violates the collective bargaining agreement that covers all maritime employers.

The union, which represents 730 longshore foremen throughout Vancouver and Prince Rupert, voted to authorize a strike solely against DP World in early July following the terminal’s refusal to bargain separately with the union. However, the CIRB ruled that the union could not vote to authorize a strike against a single terminal.

“While regrettable, ILWU Local 514’s decision to proceed with an industry-wide strike vote is predictable, given the CIRB’s decision which deemed the union’s previous strike vote and related strike notice to DP World illegal,” the BCMEA said.

The BCMEA and Local 514 have been in talks for a new four-year collective bargaining agreement since the expiration of the last contract in March 2023. But maritime employers say the union’s dispute with DP World has stalled those talks. The BCMEA said it has offered a 19.2% wage increase for longshore foremen over the contract’s term.

Source:

Angell, M. (2024b, July 29). Canadian longshore foremen prep for possible strike after DP world hearing. Journal of Commerce. https://www.joc.com/article/canadian-longshore-foremen-prep-possible-strike-after-dp-world-hearing_20240729.html

Canada’s labor tribunal on Sunday ruled that a strike vote by union longshore foremen against DP World’s terminal at the Port of Vancouver was illegal, heading off the maritime employer’s threat to shut out workers at Canada’s largest container gateway in response.

The British Columbia Maritime Employer’s Association (BCMEA) called on the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to hold a hearing on Sunday after Local 514 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada issued a 72-hour strike against DP World Centerm last Friday.

The CIRB found that Local 514 “failed to bargain in good faith when it conducted a strike vote among the employees of only one member employers of the BCMEA and issued a strike notice based on that strike vote.”

The strike vote came ahead of a CIRB hearing scheduled for August about a complaint the BCMEA filed against Local 514 alleging the union was “protracting negotiations” over a new contract. In the event the union prevailed at the CIRB, the BCMEA said it was prepared to issue a port-wide lockout that would have shut down all cargo operations, except grain and cruise ships.” Although both are part of the international union, ILWU Canada negotiates separately from the ILWU on the US West Coast.

Local 514, which represents about 700 union foremen, has been trying to negotiate separate staffing and work rules with DP World following the terminal operator’s installation of remotely operated rail-mounted gantry cranes at Centerm. But the BCMEA says that contravenes the coastwide agreement with all employers.

The cranes were part of an expansion project completed last year that increased Centerm’s container capacity 60% to 1.5 million TEUs per year.

“Bargaining on an industry basis fosters stability and certainty,” the BCMEA said in a statement Sunday. “In targeting DP World [Canada], ILWU Local 514 is unfairly isolating a single terminal operator to create uncertainty and chaos, while many industry-wide issues remain unresolved in our shared collective bargaining process.”

Local 514 did not respond to a request for comment.

Source:

Angell, M. (2024, July 8). ILWU Canada illegal strike ruling averts Vancouver shutdown. Journal of Commerce. https://www.joc.com/article/ilwu-canada-illegal-strike-ruling-averts-vancouver-shutdown_20240708.html

A possible strike later this month by conductors and engineers at Canada’s two major freight railroads could cripple operations at the Port of Vancouver while scuttling the railroads’ recent attempts to thin the inventory of long-dwelling rail containers at the port, the country’s largest.

The threat of rail strikes in Canada amid contract negotiations isn’t atypical and agreements are often struck in the final hours, thanks to federal prodding. But container lines, railroad executives and forwarders have been warning since early 2024 that this negotiation cycle carried a higher risk.

One former railroad executive who spoke to the Journal of Commerce put the likelihood of a rail strike at 50-50, adding that the industry won’t know for sure until the final hours before a May 22 deadline.

“Paying by the hour versus paying by the miles would be a game changer in Canadian rail operations,” the source, who did not want to be identified, said, referring to union resistance to the wage proposal put forth by the Class I railroads. “The union is not on board at this point, and this has become a strike issue.”

Notably, during a May 1 press conference announcing the authorization of a strike, the rail unions ducked questions on whether they would strike simultaneously at Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC). If an agreement can’t be reached before the May 22 deadline, the unions could choose to target one of the railroads and focus its pressure via work stoppages.

Such a disruption would reverse the modest port performance improvement at Vancouver, where rail container dwell times are still five days or longer, on average, across the port’s four container terminals, according to the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. Vanterm was the one exception, with rail dwell times on average under three days.

Excessive rail container dwells, which contribute to congestion at Vancouver’s marine terminals, have risen steadily this year, from 5.2 days in January to 6.7 days in February and 7.3 days in March, according to the port’s website.

The port has yet to release its April rail container dwell times, but railroads say dwell times have improved over the past month. On April 24, Canadian National Railway (CN) said during a first-quarter earnings call it had added eight more weekly trains serving Vancouver and Prince Rupert to handle what they expect will be sustained import growth at both British Columbia ports.

Carriers, forwarders and shippers are already making contingency plans to prepare for a possible strike, but they say their options are limited. Maersk Line on Thursday said in a customer advisory it is diverting some cargo to the Port of Prince Rupert and is “inducing Tacoma, WA, on four upcoming sailings on our TP1 service to care for US import/export rail cargo should a strike take place.”

Re-routing cargo to other gateways is probably the most viable option, but the challenge for shippers will be to get space on alternative services, said David Bennett, chief commercial officer at the forwarder Farrow. “The PNW (Pacific Northwest) is overbooked,” Bennett said.

Details please refer to JOC news.

Source:

Mongelluzzo, B. (2024, May 8). Vancouver works through rail dwell woes while warily eyeing labor talks. Journal of Commerce. https://www.joc.com/article/vancouver-works-through-rail-dwell-woes-while-warily-eyeing-labor-talks_20240508.html

 

Unions representing conductors and engineers with Canada’s two major freight railroads said Wednesday they have authorized a strike as soon as May 22, after 98% of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) voted to walk off the job unless a new labor contract is hammered out.

Federal conciliators have tried since March 1 to negotiate a deal between Canadian Pacific-Kansas City(CPKC), Canadian National Railway (CN) and TCRC, without success. Talks broke down on a new collective bargaining agreement soon after talks began last fall.

During a press conference Wednesday, the Teamsters declined to answer whether the individual unions under the TCRC umbrella would strike at the railroads simultaneously.

A conciliation period ended May 1. Without a deal, the two sides begin a mandatory 21-day “cooling off” period before the TCRC can strike or the railroads lock out the workers. Voting took place from April 6 to May 1. The vote tally announced Wednesday was required for the TCRC to issue a 72-hour strike notice that could come as soon as May 19.

TCRC represents 6,000 conductors, engineers and yard workers with CN and 3,200 with CPKC. The union also represents about 80 rail traffic controllers with CPKC. In the US, rail traffic controllers are often referred to as dispatchers.

Canadian rail stoppages not uncommon

The core issues in dispute include salaries, work-life balance and rest periods.

Both CN and CPKC want to abolish the per-mile pay for conductors and engineers and replace it with an hourly wage. The railroads have said the new pay scale is “modernized” and will raise wages for employees, while the TCRC says more than half its workforce will earn less until the proposed changes in pay take effect.

CPKC said it has put two proposals on the table, one of which it says would increase pay and improve work-life balance with “scheduled, predictable days off” through a simplified system, and the other that would “maintain the status quo for work rules” for rest.

“I can tell you that the progressive hourly deal, in my assessment, addresses what our employees want and need,” CPKC CEO Keith Creel said on an Apr. 24 earnings call. “They want a better quality of life. They want higher wages, which certainly is understandable. And in turn, our ability to be able to provide that is found in the terms and conditions of that hourly agreement.”

Another issue of contention is the “Transport Canada Duty and Rest Period Rules” enacted last year.

The TCRC complains that the railroads want to use rules to replace all previous workplace provisions in prior collective bargaining agreements. The union argues the rules were meant to complement terms in prior agreements, not replace them, and to do so would jeopardize safety.

Patrick Whitehead, CN’s chief network operating officer, said during a first-quarter earnings call that any claim the railroad is not committed to safety is wrong.

“We successfully implemented the duty and rest period rules that were mandated in Canada in May of 2023 and have been in full compliance with these rules,” Whitehead said on the April 23 call. “What we are doing is working to simplify the complexity of the stacking effect we experienced beginning in 2023 of the additional paid sick and personal leave days under the Canada Labor code, the duty and rest period rules and the unavailable time provided by the legacy collective marketing agreement.”

Work stoppages are not uncommon in Canada. The TCRC walked off the job with Canadian Pacific in 2012, 2015, 2018 and 2022 and embarked on an eight-day strike with CN in 2019.

In theory, CPKC and CN could run limited operations during a strike because there are managers who have been trained or have worked as conductors, engineers, rail traffic controllers, trainmasters and yardmasters earlier in their careers.

Source:

Ashe, A. (2024, May 1). Teamsters Canada vote overwhelmingly to authorize rail strike as soon as May 22. Journal of Commerce. https://www.joc.com/article/teamsters-canada-vote-overwhelmingly-authorize-rail-strike-soon-may-22_20240501.html

A stalemate over a new collective bargaining agreement for Canadian rail conductors and engineers has set the stage for vote by union members that could result in a strike notice being issued next month.

The workers, represented by the Teamsters Canadian Rail Conference (TCRC), will vote from April 8 to May 1 on whether to authorize a strike against Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) as soon as May 22.

A strike could halt intermodal service to and from all containerized marine terminals in Canada, affecting about 50,000 TEUs per week in imports, according to a Journal of Commerce analysis of data submitted to the Association of American Railroads and Intermodal Association of North America.

Negotiations between the railroads and the TCRC have hit a stumbling block over salary and mandatory rest periods. The Teamsters represent more than 9,000 conductors and engineers — 6,000 at CN and 3,200 at CPKC.

“With the prior collective bargaining agreement, we took one step forward,” a TCRC spokesperson told the Journal of Commerce. “Now our sense of the negotiations is that both rail companies are trying to take us three steps backwards.”

Talks between the sides are continuing with a federal conciliator who can broker a deal up until May 1, when a 21-day cooling off period begins before any strike could occur. The union would then have to issue a 72-hour strike notice to the two Canadian railroads.

CN and CPKC say they have made proposals varying in length that will ensure conductors and engineers receive competitive wages, are well rested and have a proper work-life balance.

“[Our offer will provide for] higher income and more predictable work-life balance by shifting to a predictable scheduling model with assigned days off,” a CPKC spokesperson told the Journal of Commerce. “The time-based model would modernize the collective agreement with 21st century practices … The existing collective agreement is more than 440 pages; it could be reduced to approximately 100 pages.”

CPKC has two offers on the table: one that would simplify the prior collective bargaining agreement and a second offer that would “maintain the status of the quo” within rules established last year by Transport Canada.

CN also offered a deal to switch salary from a per-mile basis to an hourly wage.

“If our trains run on a schedule and our interactions with our customers run on a schedule, why shouldn’t employees benefit from running on a schedule as well?” a spokesperson for CN said. “We believe that by offering stable and predictable schedules with wage increases that would be paid hourly, we would be improving the quality of life of our railroaders and improve safety.

“Furthermore, by moving to scheduled work, employees would know well in advance when they work and when they take time off,” the spokesperson added.

Details please refer to JOC news.

Source:

Ashe, A. (2024a, April 2). Lack of progress in Canadian rail talks raises possibility of may strike. Journal of Commerce. https://www.joc.com/article/lack-progress-canadian-rail-talks-raises-possibility-may-strike_20240402.html

Canada’s labor tribunal on Thursday rejected a request from maritime employers at the Port of Montreal to designate container services at the port as an essential service, leaving the option open for longshore workers to strike.

The “essential” designation request, which if granted would have barred workers from striking, comes as talks on a new contract have dragged on for seven months with no resolution.

“Although the decision does not correspond to our expectations, we remain convinced that the continuity and stability of the supply chain is of the utmost importance,” the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) said in a statement after the ministry’s ruling. “Our priority remains the conclusion of a negotiated collective agreement.”

The MEA filed its request in October that longshore work at Montreal’s six container terminals be designated as an “essential” service. The rejection came from the Canadian Industrial Relations Board.

The MEA’s request last fall, which had the support of Canadian forwarder and shipper groups, came as it said talks for a new collective bargaining agreement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 375 hit an impasse just ahead of the expiration of the current four-year contract.

The MEA entered talks with the union representing Montreal’s 1,200 dockworkers back in September. But the union quickly shut down direct talks with employers by asking Canada’s Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) to intervene, signaling to many that CUPE was going to take a contentious stance in the talks.

But the FMCS’ oversight of talks ended in December with no deal. After a cooling-off period following those talks — and now the lack of an essential services designation — CUPE is allowed to strike within 72 hours of notifying the employers. The MEA said in its statement that it hopes the FMCS can again intervene in the talks.

Montreal has been hit by strikes during other contract negotiations. Longshore workers staged multiple strikes against the port in 2020 as they tried to bargain for a new four-year contract with the MEA following the previous contract’s expiration in 2018. CUPE Local 375 also struck the port for four days in April 2021 over new rules that required a seven-hour shift instead of five-hour shift.

CUPE did not respond to requests for comment.

Source:

Angell, M. (2024, March 14). Montreal port employers lose bid to make dockwork an “essential service.” Journal of Commerce. https://www.joc.com/article/montreal-port-employers-lose-bid-make-dockwork-essential-service_20240314.html