Tag: <span>Canadian Ports</span>

Tensions between the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) union and railways Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) are ramping up after the Dec. 31, 2023 expiration of three major collective agreements.

About 9,300 workers at the railways are covered by the agreements.

“CN and CPKC aim to eliminate all safety-critical rest provisions from our collective agreements. These provisions are necessary to combat crew fatigue and ensure public safety. We want to reach a negotiated settlement, but their demands are non-starters for the Teamsters. Safety is non-negotiable,” national president of Teamsters Canada, François Laporte, said in a release.

“Canadian railroads don’t care about supply chains, farmers, or small businesses. They care about their bottom line, and squeezing everything they can out of their employees. If they need to manufacture a work stoppage to get there, they won’t think twice,” added the president of the TCRC, Paul Boucher.

Negotiations have come to a standstill and CN and CPKC have filed notice of disputes with the federal government, requesting government mediators be appointed. Teamsters points out the notice of dispute starts the legal countdown to a possible strike or lockout, which could come as soon as 81 days after government mediators are appointed. This could lead to a labor disruption as early as May.

Source:

Menzies, J. (2024, February 20). Canada’s two major railways could see strike in May: Teamsters. Truck News. https://www.trucknews.com/human-resources/canadas-two-major-railways-could-see-strike-in-may-teamsters/1003182139/

Contract talks involving longshore workers at the Port of Montreal appear stalled after the union’s chief negotiator said maritime employers have yet to make an offer on a new pay package. With a looming deadline before dockworkers could walk off the job, shippers are urging the federal government to act now to avoid yet another strike at Canada’s second-busiest port.

Michel Murray, the national representative for Local 375 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents Montreal’s dockworkers, told a panel of Canadian Parliamentarians Thursday that a negotiation period overseen by the government has ended without a new wage proposal from maritime employers.

In late October, Local 375 asked Canada’s Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to intervene as talks began with Montreal’s Maritime Employers Association (MEA) for a new four-year collective bargaining agreement. Murray on Thursday said that process “ended two days ago and … the management side hasn’t [submitted] its wage offer yet.”

The MEA are the direct employers of CUPE members. But Murray took MEA’s ocean carrier and marine terminal members to task for not showing up during the contract talks, saying it demonstrated that port employers are not taking the talks seriously.

“The shipping lines were not seated at the bargaining table,” he said. “We have to make sure the real decision makers are seated at the bargaining table.”

The end of the federal government’s oversight of the contract talks triggered the start of a 21-day “cooling off” period under Canadian law. The union can call a strike after that period, which could occur as soon as Jan. 4 following a 72-hour notification to employers.

Details please refer to JOC news.

Source:

Angell, M. (2023, December 8). Canadian shippers urge ottawa to act as Montreal Port Talks hit impasse. Journal of Commerce. https://www.joc.com/article/canadian-shippers-urge-ottawa-act-montreal-port-talks-hit-impasse_20231208.html

 

Ships will start working again along the St Lawrence river this morning, bringing an end to an eight-day strike after a deal was struck Sunday with around 360 workers and members of Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector union, in a dispute over wages with the St Lawrence Seaway Management Corp.

“Details of the tentative agreement will first be shared with members and will be made public once an agreement is ratified,” said a union statement.

The strike shut down 13 locks on the seaway between Lake Erie and Montreal with around 150 vessels affected.

“For the first time in 55 years seaway workers took the very hard decision to go on strike. They did so to fight for a more respectful workplace and for an agreement that reflects today’s economic times,” said Lana Payne, Unifor national president. “They have shown that the best deal is reached at the bargaining table, and I congratulate the committee on their outstanding work on behalf of their members.”

Source:

Chambers, S. (2023, October 30). Strike along the St Lawrence ends. Splash247. https://splash247.com/strike-along-the-st-lawrence-ends/

The Port of Prince Rupert said Thursday it has begun construction of a rail-to-container transloading facility that will significantly increase the Western Canadian port’s capacity to export agricultural, forestry and resin products while achieving a better import-export mix.

The project will consist of a 108-acre greenfield development on Ridley Island and is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2026. Ray-Mont Logistics will develop and operate the facility, which will provide transloading capacity for 400,000 TEUs a year.

Ray-Mont currently operates a transloading facility on a temporary Ridley Island location.

The temporary facility will transition to the permanent Ridley Island Export Logistics Project (RIELP), which will provide significantly more transload capacity, said Brian Friesen, vice president of trade development at the Price Rupert Port Authority.

“It will be enormous in size and scale — 10 times the size of the temporary one,” Friesen told the Journal of Commerce Thursday.

The C$750 million project will help import-heavy Prince Rupert establish a more balanced import-export flow, Friesen said. The import-export ratio has varied over time. Ten years ago, imports outnumbered exports two to one. In pre-pandemic 2019, exports accounted for 25 to 30% of the port’s total container volume. This year, exports are in the low-30% range.

“So we still have a long way to go,” Friesen said.

The project will include Prince Rupert developing a road-rail utility corridor that will connect the new transload facility with Fairview Container Terminal, giving unit trains 10,000 feet in length direct access to the site from the Canadian National Railway network. The connector corridor ensures that all product movements will be within the port authority’s jurisdiction, the port said in a statement.

The total capital investment of C$750 million is being provided by the port, Ray-Mont Logistics, CN, the Canadian federal government and the government of British Columbia. Canada’s National Transportation Corridor Fund is providing C$64.8 million and the province’s Stronger BC program is providing C$25 million toward the project, according to the statement.

Prince Rupert serves Canadian, US markets

Prince Rupert, with its CN intermodal connections to eastern Canada and to the US market through Chicago, is a gateway for Asian imports. The port seeks to grow as an export gateway for Canadian and US cargo. A more robust two-way trade will generate increased container volumes and assist in the shipment of export loads and repositioning of empty containers along the CN network, Friesen said.

“The project’s large scale, unit train capabilities, access to available empty containers and proximity and integration into container terminal operations make it a unique model that promises the ability to deliver significant new service offerings to exporters that will greatly improve the quality, cost and reliability of container supply chains,” the port authority said.

Source:

Mongelluzzo, B. (2023, October 19). Prince Rupert to build large export transload facility to balance cargo mix. Journal of Commerce. https://www.joc.com/article/prince-rupert-build-large-export-transload-facility-balance-cargo-mix_20231019.html

Three-quarters of the longshore rank and file have agreed to a four-year contract at Vancouver and Prince Rupert, bringing labor certainty to western Canada that has eluded the port for more than a month. The deal ensures marine terminals in the coming weeks can clear a backlog created by a gridlock in negotiations.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) on Friday announced that 74.66% of its membership voted for the contract, although neither the ILWU nor employers disclosed wage levels or how the two sides were able to move through an impasse over expanding job jurisdiction.

“The renewed collective agreement includes increases in wages, benefits and training that recognizes the skills and efforts of B.C.’s waterfront workforce, while providing certainty and stability for the future of Canada’s West Coast ports,” the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) said in an Aug. 4 statement.

Canada’s ministers of labor and transportation on Friday praised the collective bargaining process, although Seamus O’Regan and Juan Pablo Rodriguez, respectively, said they were reviewing how such a prolonged disruption occurred and would look for ways to bring more stability to labor and business dependent on the ports.

“This dispute caused serious disruptions to our supply chains, risking our strong international reputation as a reliable trading partner. We do not want to be back here again,” the ministers said in a Friday joint statement.

Details please refer to JOC news.

Source:

Szakonyi, M. (2023, August 6). ILWU Canada contract ratification ensures BC Port Peace. Journal of Commerce. https://www.joc.com/article/ilwu-canada-contract-ratification-ensures-bc-port-peace_20230806.html

Cargo handling at the Western Canadian ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert was proceeding normally Monday after the longshore union and waterfront employers said in a joint statement they had reached yet another tentative contract agreement in hopes of ending the uncertainty that has hung over the ports for the past month.

Those hopes hang on winning the approval of the rank-and-file of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada. Union members have already rejected one tentative agreement put before them last week.

It wasn’t immediately clear what is different in the latest deal reached late Sunday between ILWU Canada and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA).

Some clarity was provided by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), which issued an order on Sunday calling for a ratification vote to be held no later than Friday; the Port of Vancouver expects voting to take place Thursday and Friday.

The CIRB also ordered that the union will not strike, nor will employers engage in a lockout until the results of the vote are known.

“The parties are recommending ratification of the collective agreement to the union’s membership and member employers, respectively,” ILWU Canada and BCMEA said their statement Sunday.

ILWU Canada’s rank-and file on Friday rejected a four-year agreement that would have increased the base dockworker wage by 19.2% and included a signing bonus of C$3,000.

But ILWU Canada President Rob Ashton, in a statement posted Sunday on the union’s website, indicated that wages were not the main sticking point in the membership’s rejection last week of the initial tentative contract agreement. It’s not known when exactly Ashton’s statement was posted, but presumably it was prior to the joint statement from the union and BCMEA on a new deal being reached.

“The critical issue is the practice of contracting out maintenance work that poses a significant threat to job security and the integrity of the ILWU workforce,” he said.

Ashton added that ILWU Canada wants a renewed commitment from employers to protect ILWU jobs through contract provisions that limit or regulate the extent of maintenance work that employers can contract out.

“By implementing clear guidelines, we can ensure that our members’ livelihoods are secure and that the skills and experience of the ILWU labor force are preserved for the benefit of Canada’s supply chain,” Ashton said.

Port operations normal

Officials at Vancouver, Canada’s largest port, said cargo handling was continuing without disruption Monday.

“Regular operations at the port continue and recovery plans remain in effect,” the port said in an advisory to customers, alluding to the 14 days of strike action by longshore workers that took place earlier in July. It added that six container vessels were at berth, three at anchor and two were waiting to enter the port.

A spokesperson for the Port of Prince Rupert said cargo handling there was also proceeding normally.

Source:

Mongelluzzo, B. (2023, July 31). Western Canada Port Operations Normal as Next Union Contract Vote looms. Journal of Commerce. https://www.joc.com/article/western-canada-port-operations-normal-next-union-contract-vote-looms_20230731.html

Canadian National Railway said it would take up to eight weeks to clear the cargo backlog from the 14 days of strike action at Western Canadian ports amid a weaker-than-expected peak season, while signaling some confidence that the longshore disruption is over as union members vote on the tentative deal reached last week.

“We are pleased to see an end to the work stoppage and we’re working hard to get those supply chains back in sync,” CN CEO Tracy Robinson said Tuesday during a second-quarter earnings call. “We expect to move most of the volumes that didn’t move during the first two weeks of July over the coming weeks.”

The result of the ratification vote by the rank and file of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada isn’t expected to be released until Saturday at the earliest, according to two people close to negotiations. The last three weeks have been marked by the whiplash of a 13-day strike, a tentative deal rejected by a union caucus, a one-day wildcat strike, a federal labor board ruling the one-day strike illegal, the union issuing and then retracting a strike notice for last weekend, and finally union leadership accepting terms of the new contract.

Those terms have not been publicly disclosed…

Details please refer to the news from JOC.

Source:

Szakonyi, M. (2023, July 26). Western Canada Port Backlog to take weeks to clear: Canadian national. Journal of Commerce. https://www.joc.com/article/western-canada-port-backlog-take-weeks-clear-canadian-national_20230726.html

Longshore workers and employers in Western Canada have reached a second deal on a tentative new contract, and a caucus of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada will decide later Friday whether to send the terms to its rank-and-file for ratification.

“There will be an emergency contract caucus on Friday … to vote on whether the tentative agreement will be sent to the membership for ratification,” ILWU Canada Local 502 said in a statement late Thursday.

The ILWU Canada caucus previously rejected an initial deal that was reached last week, setting off a chaotic string of events that included a brief strike Tuesday night, a federal labor board ruling that strike illegal, and then the union issuing — then retracting — a strike notice for this weekend.

The rollercoaster developments of the past three weeks, which began with a 13-day strike by ILWU Canada on July 1, have disrupted cargo handling at Vancouver, Canada’s largest port and a gateway to US and Canadian markets, and Prince Rupert, which likewise has extensive intermodal rail service to both markets.

The initial tentative contract between ILWU Canada and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) was reached with assistance from a federal mediator.

The initial tentative agreement called for a four-year contract, which ILWU Canada President Rob Ashton said was too long given the uncertainties in the international trade economy. ILWU Canada has also been pushing terminal operators to accept expanded union jurisdiction over mechanics jobs.

The July 1-13 ILWU strike and resulting vessel backlogs and inland supply chain disruptions have added to the woes of British Columbia ports that had already been feeling the effects of declining trade volumes. According to statistics from the ports, container volumes in Vancouver were down 13.8% through May and 27% lower in Prince Rupert.

Source:

Mongelluzzo, B. (2023b, July 21). ILWU Canada Caucus to vote on New Tentative Longshore Contract deal. Journal of Commerce. https://www.joc.com/article/ilwu-canada-caucus-vote-new-tentative-longshore-contract-deal_20230721.html

Longshore workers at Western Canadian ports are returning to work – for now — after a labor board ruled that strike action taken Tuesday night by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada was illegal because the union failed to provide the required 72-hour notice.

But with the union subsequently giving that notice after the ruling by the Canada Industrial Relations Board, dockworkers are now poised to go on strike again on Saturday morning. The board ordered ILWU Canada to review potential damage claims with marine terminals over the strike action that was taken illegally Tuesday night.

The whiplash developments were set in motion late Tuesday when a caucus of ILWU Canada rejected the tentative labor agreement that last week ended the 13-day strike at the ports of Prince Rupert and Vancouver. The rejection came just five days after the end of the strike and as ports had begun to restore cargo flow after the disruption.

“The term of the collective agreement that was given with today’s uncertain times is far too long,” ILWU Canada President Rob Ashton said in a statement, referring to the four-year length of the tentative agreement meant to replace the contract that expired at the end of the March. “We must be able to readdress the uncertainty in the world’s financial markets for our members.”

ILWU Canada said it was remaining steadfast in seeking increased jurisdiction of maintenance work at marine terminals, noting that after achieving record profits in 2021 and 2022, employers had the financial resources to appropriately compensate workers for higher living costs.

The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) bemoaned that the full ILWU Canada rank-of-file wasn’t able to vote on the tentative agreement. In rejecting the deal, ILWU Canada was “choosing to further harm Canada’s economy, international reputation, and most importantly, to Canadians, their livelihood and all those that rely on the stable supply chain,” BCMEA said in a statement late Tuesday.

Government ministers ‘looking at all options’

Canada’s ministers of Labor and Transport on Wednesday expressed grave disappointment in the union’s rejection of the agreement, saying they “are looking at all options” and would have more to share publicly on Thursday. The joint statement from Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said the tentative agreement was a “fair and balanced deal,” and ports needed to be open.

Terms of the tentative deal were not disclosed.

Attention now turns to Canada’s Parliament to end the strike, as it did at the Port of Montreal in 2021.

When the strike began July 1, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Retail Council of Canada urged Parliament to order port workers back to work. But there is no guarantee of swift passage of the legislation Parliament must pass for that to happen. It will likely take a coalition from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party and the Conservative Party to overcome the Democratic Party’s objections to any back-to-work legislation.

Parliament is currently in recess, having begun its summer break in June.

Source:

Szakonyi, M. (2023, July 19). Longshore workers at Western Canadian ports returning to work, for now. Journal of Commerce. https://www.joc.com/article/longshore-workers-western-canadian-ports-returning-work-now_20230719.html

July 18 (Reuters) – Dock workers at ports along Canada’s Pacific coast rejected a tentative four-year wage deal agreed with their employers last week and returned to the picket line, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) said on Tuesday.

The ILWU represents some 7,500 dock workers, who walked off the job on July 1 after failing to reach a new work contract with the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), which represents the companies involved.

In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, the ILWU said its members had voted down the recommended terms of settlement because they did not believe the terms would protect their jobs.

“With the record profits that the BCMEA’s member companies have earned over the last few years the employers have not addressed the cost of living issues that our workers have faced over the last couple of years as all workers have,” the ILWU said in its statement…

Detail please refer to the news.

Source:

Williams, N. (2023, July 19). Canada port strike resumes after union members reject wage agreement. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canada-port-workers-return-picket-line-after-rejecting-wage-agreement-2023-07-18/