Canada's Second Largest Container Port Issues Strike Warning
Not only are strikes planned at U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, but the Port of Montreal (Montreal), Canada's second-largest container port, is also under threat of a strike!
On September 27th, the union representing dockworkers at the Port of Montreal issued a 72-hour strike notice, and dockworkers will be on strike at two Termont Montreal-owned terminals - the Viau and Maisonneuve terminals - starting at 7:00 a.m. on Monday (30th), with the strike likely to last until Thursday.
The local union, which is affiliated with the Canadian union of Public Employees (CUPE; CUPE), said about 350 members will participate in the labor action, which affects about 41% of the port's container traffic.
Meanwhile, union spokesman Michel Murray has said the union is willing to lift the strike notice if the employer is willing to address two issues.
According to union members, one of the issues involves a significant reduction in the use of senior foremen during operations, and the other relates to scheduling practices that should not be used on a regular basis, but are used at the Termont terminal.
It is understood that the 1,200 dockworkers, represented by the Port of Montreal Longshoremen's Union, have been without a collective agreement since December. Negotiations between the two sides are nearing an impasse over wages and work-life balance.
Earlier this week, 1,150 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal (Montreal) rejected the Maritime Employers Association's (MEA) latest offer by 99.63%, while also authorizing their own strike.
The dockers reportedly want a 20 percent pay raise over four years and a “better work-life balance.” The union said it would not give any interviews “because all of its energies are focused on negotiations.” Back in May, a number of shipping companies had rerouted cargo from the Port of Montreal, Canada's second-largest port, out of concern over labor unrest.
Additionally, earlier this year the CUPE union had called on the Canadian government not to intervene, claiming that it was the government's intervention that led to this point.
“In the final round of negotiations in 2021, the Trudeau government imposed mandatory arbitration and legislated for workers to return to work. As a result, none of the key issues were resolved at the bargaining table, and three years later, all of these issues have resurfaced.”
In fact, Mark Hancock, president of the CUPE union, warned the government to “back off.” “This is another textbook example of how government interference in collective bargaining hinders, rather than enables, labor peace,” he said. “Our message to the Trudeau government is simple - back off and let the parties negotiate a fair deal. Don't even think about touching our members' right to free and fair collective bargaining.”
Employer MEA said, “Canada's supply chain is already vulnerable. Negotiations to renew the dockworkers' collective agreement have been going on for over a year. The uncertainty created by this long delay and the resurgence of labor disputes is affecting Canada and its economy, as well as Canada's reputation as a reliable and resilient trading partner.” “As a result of this uncertainty, cargo at the port of Montrissa has been significantly reduced, also creating serious financial challenges for the MEA.” It added: “Our priority remains the signing of a negotiated collective agreement as soon as possible in an effort to bring cargo back to the port.”