Negotiators with the B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) and International Labour and Warehouse Union (ILWU Canada), working with the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), reached a new tentative deal July 30.

BCMEA members said they ratified the agreement last Monday (July 31). ILWU Canada members’ ratification votes, held Thursday and Friday, turned up 74.66 per cent in favour of the new deal, union president Rob Ashton said in a memo Friday.

A caucus of ILWU leadership had recommended Aug. 1 that workers approve the new deal.

The employers’ association said late Friday that the new 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.”

About 7,400 longshore workers at Vancouver and Prince Rupert went on strike starting July 1. Their previous collective agreement had expired March 31 and talks had been underway since that time between the parties with federal mediators.

Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan and Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez, in a joint statement Saturday, said the new deal’s ratification is “good news for the employer, the union, and the many workers and businesses across Canada that rely on our B.C. ports.”

But the ministers also noted the dispute “caused serious disruption to our supply chains, risking our strong international reputation as a reliable trading partner. We do not want to be back here again.”

The new deal follows the ILWU Canada leadership caucus’ rejection of a tentative deal on July 18 — after which union membership voted July 28 to reject a second tentative deal that had the caucus’ support.

O’Regan on July 29 invoked section 107 of the Canada Labour Code and directed the CIRB to see whether the union’s rejection of that second tentative deal had “eliminated the possibility of a negotiated resolution.” If so, he authorized the CIRB to then impose either a new collective agreement or final binding arbitration on both parties.

O’Regan said Saturday that federal officials will “review how a disruption on this scale unfolded, so that in future we can provide greater stability for the workers and businesses across Canada that depend on our B.C. ports.”

On that matter, the ministers said Saturday “we will have more to say on this soon.”

Bulk grain traffic has a Labour Code exemption from any longshore labour outage, but traffic in containerized pulse crops and other agricultural goods and commodities is not exempt.

Farm and business groups and others in recent weeks have called on Ottawa to draft new contingency plans to limit impacts of such disputes. Manitoba Pork and Keystone Agricultural Producers, for example, called last month for all food and agriculture shipments to be declared as essential.

The two groups also called for a process in which mediation is launched before strikes or lockouts take place, and for staggered labour contracts to be set up help ensure “operational continuity in impacted ports during times of disruption.”

Alberta’s Transport Minister Devin Dreeshen, in a separate statement Saturday, also called on the feds to “bring forward mechanisms that provide more stability and predictability in the segments of Canada’s supply chain within its jurisdiction.

“Class 1 rail, ports, and airports are critical pieces of infrastructure and we cannot afford these sorts of disruptions to our province.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

The post B.C. longshore workers ratify new deal appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU Canada) — which represents about 7,400 workers at various Vancouver and Prince Rupert port terminals and facilities — said Tuesday its members had returned to the picket lines late that afternoon, after a caucus of ILWU Canada leadership rejected a federal mediators’ proposal for a four-year agreement.

But the CIRB, in a ruling Wednesday morning, said it had since received an application from the B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) — which represents port employers in collective bargaining — seeking a declaration of an “unlawful strike.”

The BCMEA had argued 72 hours’ notice should be given before strike action could resume, while ILWU Canada argued “no such notice was required since there was an ongoing strike,” the CIRB said.

The board said Wednesday it considered both sides’ submissions and has now ruled the resumption of strike action to be unlawful. The CIRB has ordered the union to “cease and desist from participating in strike activities” until the relevant terms of the federal Labour Code are met.

Until then, the CIRB said, all striking longshore workers must now “immediately perform the duties of their employment as per the collective agreement and applicable dispatch rules.”

In other words, federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan said in a tweet Wednesday morning, “This strike is illegal.”

In response, ILWU Canada said later Wednesday morning it will appeal the CIRB ruling and served the employer group with a fresh 72-hour notice, which would restart the strike on Saturday (July 22).

Hours later, however, ILWU Canada president Rob Ashton published a memo saying the union’s strike notice, which would put the start time on July 22 at 9 a.m. PT, “has now been removed.”

The memo gave no reason for the removal. The BCMEA, in a separate statement later Wednesday, acknowledged the removal, saying “the past 24 hours have demonstrated that this continues to be a fluid and unpredictable situation.”

O’Regan and federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, in a separate statement late Tuesday night, said they were now “looking at all options” and “will have more to say on this tomorrow.”

ILWU Canada’s B.C. port members had gone on strike starting July 1, returning to work when the tentative deal was announced last Thursday. The ministers said late Tuesday they’d since been informed by the BCMEA that its employer members “accepted this deal in full.”

However, the ministers said, “we were also informed that, despite initially agreeing to recommend the terms of settlement, the ILWU Canada’s leadership had decided not to recommend ratification of the terms to their members.”

The ministers, in Tuesday’s statement, did not list their remaining options, nor did they use the phrase ‘back-to-work legislation’ — an option which would involve recalling Parliament off its summer break.

But they did say “workers and employers across Canada cannot face further disruption on the scale we saw last week… We have been patient. We have respected the collective bargaining process. But we need our ports operating.”

Service for bulk grain vessels at West Coast ports is exempt from any longshore work stoppage under the federal Labour Code.

Several farmer and ag industry groups have been publicly calling for federal action to end the strike, however, as containerized pulse crops, perishables such as meat and produce, fertilizer and other goods face potential delays.

The BCMEA said Wednesday the strike to date has “caused immense damage to Canada’s trading reputation and disrupted at least $10 billion worth of cargo alone.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

The post B.C. port strike under cease-and-desist order, for now appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU Canada), which represents about 7,400 longshore workers at various Vancouver and Prince Rupert port facilities, said Tuesday afternoon its longshore caucus had voted to reject terms of settlement proposed last week by federal mediator Peter Simpson’s team.

Instead, ILWU Canada said, its membership “will be back on the picket line for a fair and negotiated collective agreement” as of 4:30 p.m. PT.

Service for bulk grain vessels at West Coast ports is exempt from the work stoppage under Canada’s Labour Code.

Several farmer and ag industry groups had been publicly calling for federal action to end the strike, however, as containerized pulse crops, perishables such as meat and produce, fertilizer and other goods face potential delays.

The union caucus “does not believe the recommendations had the ability to protect our jobs now or into the future,” the union said Tuesday.

Work was to resume at B.C. ports last Thursday evening after the port management group, the B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), said a tentative agreement had been reached and the longshore workers’ 13-day strike would end.

Simpson and his team had been directed by federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan to draft terms for an agreement to take to the union and management for their review — an option that was open to O’Regan under the Canada Labour Code.

However, ILWU Canada had not said last Thursday whether it would put the mediator’s proposed deal to a ratification vote.

Rather, it said Tuesday, with the “record profits” BCMEA member firms have collected in recent 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.”

Also, the mediator’s proposal called for a collective agreement with a four-year term, which ILWU Canada said “with today’s uncertain times, is far too long. We must be able to readdress the uncertainty in the world’s financial markets for our members.”

BCMEA, in a separate statement Tuesday, said ILWU’s “internal caucus leadership rejected the tentative agreement, before it was even taken to a vote of the full union membership.”

The employer group said the proposed “fair and comprehensive package could not satisfy some of (ILWU’s) internal caucus leadership, and in rejecting this tentative agreement, ILWU leadership is choosing to further harm Canada’s economy, international reputation and most importantly, to Canadians, their livelihoods and all those that rely on a stable supply chain.”

BCMEA said the proposal had called for “considerable hikes in wages and benefits” that are “generally above the established norm of recent private and public sector union settlements in British Columbia and Canada.”

The tentative deal had also included “specific provisions that addressed the union’s concern regarding ‘contracting out’ work and measures to improve training, recruitment and retention of ILWU trades workers now and in the future,” the employer association said.

Among those provisions, BCMEA said, the deal called for “benefit coverage for all casual trades workers, a tool allowance, and a commitment to increase apprentices in the industry by 15 per cent.”

A statement was not yet available early Tuesday evening from O’Regan or Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, both of whom were attending the Atlantic Growth Strategy Leadership Committee meeting with Atlantic Canada’s premiers Tuesday in Moncton. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

The post B.C. longshore workers resume strike appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The B.C. Maritime Employers Association said in a release Thursday morning it had reached a tentative pact with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU Canada) on a new four-year collective agreement “that recognizes the skills and efforts of B.C.’s waterfront workforce.”

The deal ending a 13-day strike came after federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan on Tuesday night tasked federally appointed mediators with drafting terms for a new agreement based on progress made in talks to date.

O’Regan had set a deadline of Thursday evening for the union and management to decide whether the mediator’s terms were acceptable.

He and federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, in a joint statement Thursday, said the ILWU and BCMEA are now “finalizing details for the resumption of work at the ports.”

BCMEA said Thursday morning it’s “committed to working closely with ILWU Canada and their locals and supply chain partners to safely resume operations as soon as possible.”

Thanking federal mediator Peter Simpson and his team as well as O’Regan for their help in reaching the tentative deal, the employer group said it “recognizes and regrets the significant impact this labour disruption has had on the economy, businesses, workers, customers and ultimately, all Canadians.”

Parties at Vancouver and Prince Rupert now “must collectively work together to not only restore cargo operations as quickly and safely as possible but to also rebuild the reputation of Canada’s largest gateway and ensure supply chain stability and resilience for the future,” BCMEA said.

O’Regan and Alghabra, in their statement Thursday, concurred that the scale of the disruption at the West Coast has been “significant” and “has shown just how important the relationship between industry and labour is to our national interest. Our supply chains and our economy depend on it.”

Service for bulk grain vessels and cruise ships at B.C.’s ports was exempt from this work stoppage. However, several farmer and ag industry groups had publicly called for federal action to end the strike, as containerized pulse crops, perishables such as meat and produce, fertilizer and other goods were potentially at risk from delays.

Past that, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) said in a separate release Thursday the strike “has caused severe backlogs that will take weeks to process. The damage to manufacturing supply chains is significant, as production slowed in the lead-up to the strike and will take even more time to get back up and running.”

CME said it’s been estimated that a day of a port shutdown takes up to a week to make up, “meaning it will take months for the sector to recover.”

O’Regan and Alghabra emphasized Thursday that “deals like this, made between parties at the collective bargaining table…are the best way to preserve the long-term stability of Canada’s economy” and “we do not want to be back here again.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

The post B.C. waterfront work to resume ‘as soon as possible’ appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

In a statement at about 9:30 CT Tuesday evening, Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan said he had asked the senior federal mediator in the dispute to supply him with terms of a recommended settlement within 24 hours.

O’Regan said he will then forward those terms to both the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU Canada) and the B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA). The two parties then have 24 hours to decide “whether or not to recommend ratification of the terms to their principals.”

The Canada Labour Code allows for a federally appointed mediator — at the request of the parties, or of the labour minister — to make recommendations for settlement of a dispute or an outstanding difference between parties in labour talks.

In this specific case, O’Regan said Tuesday, “as a result of the hard work by the parties at the bargaining table, there is a good deal within reach — one that would work for both the employer and the union.”

In the wake of 11 days’ striking at West Coast ports, O’Regan said he’s decided “the difference between the employer’s and the union’s positions is not sufficient to justify a continued work stoppage.”

The scale of the disruption caused so far by the strike “shows how important the relationship between the BCMEA and the ILWU is to our national interest,” he added. “We cannot allow this work stoppage to persist and risk further damage to the relationship between these parties.”

Despite O’Regan’s plan, Manitoba farm organization Keystone Agricultural Producers and the Manitoba Pork Council, in a joint statement Wednesday, called instead for an immediate end to the supply chain disruptions caused by the strike.

“We appreciate Minister O’Regan’s directive to the federal mediator, but in contrast to the back-to-work legislation that was brought forward to address the Port of Montreal strike in 2021, the federal government has refused to take direct action that would end the strike and the associated impacts on our supply chain,” KAP general manager Brenna Mahoney said in a release.

About 7,400 B.C. longshore workers represented by ILWU Canada went on strike July 1 after serving the BCMEA with the required 72 hours’ notice. Their previous collective agreement expired March 31 and talks had been underway since that time between the parties with federal mediators.

While the federal Labour Code requires that striking longshore workers continue to handle loading of bulk grain vessels, the current West Coast strike has the potential to stall Canada’s exports of containerized pulse crops, fresh pork, fertilizer and other goods.

In a statement earlier Tuesday the BCMEA, whose members include 49 B.C. waterfront employers and terminal operators, estimated the value of disrupted cargo since July 1 at about $8.6 billion.

The association cited estimates from Royal Bank that 63,000 shipping containers were already impacted, with 13 vessels to arrive in coming days and 37 due by month-end — by which time the value of backlogged goods would touch $11.7 billion, which in turn would require “over three weeks of clearance, barring any new arrivals.”

The association also noted provincial leaders including Ontario’s Doug Ford, Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe and Alberta’s Danielle Smith have called for an end to the longshore workers’ job action.

Neither O’Regan nor Transport Minister Omar Alghabra have mentioned back-to-work legislation as an option, which currently would involve recalling Parliament off its summer break.

Shortly before the strike, the ILWU said outstanding issues included protection for its members against job losses caused by contracting-out and port automation, and against “record-high inflation and skyrocketing cost of living.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

The post Feds to propose terms to settle B.C. ports strike appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“So you have cargo held in Vancouver or on its way to Vancouver, or people not shipping to Vancouver because they don’t want to pay demurrage and detention,” he said.

Demurrage is the charges paid for the use of a container within a terminal, while detention is the fee paid for the container’s use outside of the terminal.

Talks between the B.C. Maritime Employers Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada broke down July 3 following a marathon bargaining session during the Canada Day long weekend.

With the previous five-year agreement having expired March 31, ILWU Canada said it’s seeking a two-year deal with wage increases of 11 per cent in the first year and six per cent in the second. Also, the union accused port employers of raking in record profits, while the BCMEA charged the union’s demands are unreasonable.

Talks resumed several days later with the assistance of federal mediators, but negotiations stalled a second time on Tuesday.

While pulse exports by container remained at a standstill, bulk grain carriers are still being loaded as required under the Canada Labour Code.

“The container business is being stopped right now and it is a problem, and the [federal] government needs to intervene,” Mosnaim said.

So far, the federal Liberal government has resisted demands to recall Parliament in order to quickly push back-to-work legislation through the House of Commons and Senate. The premiers of Alberta and Saskatchewan, along with some business and agriculture groups, have demanded a stronger response from Ottawa.

Mosnaim noted something of a silver lining for pulses with the port workers’ strike: summer, between the end of the old crop and the coming new crop, is a slow time for exports.

The labour dispute’s impact on Canada’s pulse exports would be far greater, he said, if it occurred in September when the new crop was being harvested.

— Glen Hallick reports for MarketsFarm from Winnipeg.

The post Pulse weekly outlook: B.C. port strike drags on exports appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), in a statement Monday, said it’s “of the view that a continuation of bargaining at this time is not going to produce a collective agreement” with its longshore workers’ union, which went on strike Saturday morning.

While any prolonged strike at the West Coast could snarl many of Canada’s supply chains, longshore work at port grain terminals at Vancouver and Prince Rupert is not affected. The Canada Labour Code requires that loading or movement of grain vessels continue during any such work stoppage. The association and workers’ union also confirmed last Friday that service to cruise ships at the West Coast would not be affected.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU Canada), in a separate statement Tuesday, said it received a message Monday from federal mediators that the BCMEA had “walked away from the table.”

The BCMEA, which represents 49 employers at B.C.’s waterfront, such as ship owners and agents, stevedores and container and cruise ship terminal operators, said Monday it “has gone as far as possible on core issues” in talks, but the union “seems to have entrenched their positions.”

The ILWU and BCMEA had been in talks with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) since March 28.

The employers’ group said Monday the union “is attempting to aggressively expand their scope and re-define Regular Maintenance Work far beyond what is set out in the industry-wide agreement, which has been legally well established for decades.”

Under their collective agreement, which expired March 31, the union “exclusively supplies the labour force” but “has been consistently unable to fulfill the trades work they have jurisdiction over.”

Also, the BCMEA described the union’s proposals for compensation as “unreasonable, and well outside the established norm of union settlements in Canada.”

ILWU Canada, in a separate statement Monday, said the BCMEA “has accused the union of trying to expand its scope of work beyond regular maintenance.” Rather, the union said, it “has been raising the issue of the rampant contracting out of our maintenance work for years” and its focus in bargaining “has been to stop the erosion of jurisdiction and the extensive use of contractors.”

As for compensation, the union said it “did not take the position that gorging on massive profits was unreasonable, but we did take the position that it is reasonable for the workers that helped to achieve those record profits in the first place to have a fair and equitable share of them.”

The union said it also “hope(s) that the association is not hiding behind the threat of back-to-work legislation and binding arbitration to avoid engaging in bargaining with the union.”

Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan, in a separate tweet Tuesday, said he “encourage(s) both parties to immediately return to the bargaining table and remain there until a deal is reached.”

Collective bargaining, he said, “is hard work but it’s how the best, most resilient deals are made.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

The post Strike continues at West Coast ports as employers exit talks appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The lockout was immediately lifted and the union also withdrew its strike notice, according to separate statements by the B.C. Maritime Employers Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada.

Details of a tentative agreement on a new contract, reached with the help of federal mediation, were not released.

At issue was the employers association’s introduction of automation that could eliminate jobs, the union said.

The port is a major gateway to Asia for Canadian goods, moving large volumes of coal, grain, potash and forest products.

Despite its short duration, the lockout led to lineups of trucks outside terminals and vessels being rerouted to other West Coast ports, said Joel Neuheimer, vice president of international trade and transportation at Forest Products Association of Canada, whose members include Canfor Corp and West Fraser Timber.

Cruise ships and licensed grain terminals were not affected by the lockout.

The employers association represents 55 companies, such as ship owners and terminal operators at the port.

— Reporting for Reuters by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg and Kelsey Johnson in Ottawa.

The post Update: Vancouver lockout of longshoremen ends appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) voted 98.4 per cent in favour of strike action against the member companies of the B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), the union said Friday.

In a letter to union members Wednesday, ILWU Local 500 president Rino Voci explained that while a strike is not necessarily imminent, it is nonetheless a valuable bargaining tool to reach a new collective bargaining agreement.

The workers’ most recent agreements expired at the end of March last year, and negotiations have been prolonged.

The ILWU members’ vote means a strike can be called in the next 60 days, with 72 hours’ notice to BCMEA member companies.

The BCMEA is the body representing waterfront employers in negotiating and administering collective agreements with six different union locals.

According to a 2016 economic impact study, the Port of Vancouver is the third-largest port in North America; it contributed $3.6 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product in 2018.

Over 27 million tonnes of Canadian wheat, canola, barley and other specialty crops were shipped via Vancouver in 2018. In 2016, grain alone accounted for 23 per cent of its cargo.

While a strike could cause supply chain headaches across the agriculture sector, Canada’s grains industry will remain largely unscathed, as Canada’s Labour Code deems grain to be an essential service.

Longshoremen will be required to load and ship grain, even if a strike is called for providing shipping services to other commodities.

The code states “employees and their bargaining agent shall continue to provide the services they normally provide to ensure the tie-up, let-go and loading of grain vessels at licensed terminal and transfer elevators, and the movement of grain vessels in and out of a port.”

Canadian National Railway declined to comment on the potential labour dispute or logistical consequences.

According to Business in Vancouver, long-term labour agreements between ILWU-represented port workers and maritime employers in the U.S. have put competitive pressure on the Port of Vancouver to remain open.

— Marlo Glass writes for MarketsFarm, a Glacier FarmMedia division specializing in grain and commodity market analysis and reporting.

The post B.C. longshoremen vote in favour of strike appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The union members’ vote takes place Wednesday and Thursday (May 8-9).

ILWU and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) have been bargaining since the collective agreement expired in March last year.

A letter from ILWU president Rino Voci explained that voting ‘yes’ to a strike does not mean a strike will happen immediately. Rather, it means unionized workers could go on strike within the next 60 days, with 72 hours of notice provided to the employer.

“A yes vote gives your negotiating committee the support it needs to bring us closer to getting a new industry agreement deal without a strike,” Voci wrote.

A strike could disrupt shipping activity at the Port of Vancouver. Longshoremen at Prince Rupert and on Vancouver Island, as well as ship and dock foremen in the Lower Mainland, are also included in ongoing negotiations.

The ports, located at Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet, Roberts Bank at Delta, and at Surrey serve many shipping lines that move Canadian products around the world. A strike could create a significant snafu for Canada’s agricultural commodity exports.

“Any extended strike would quickly back up grain shipping into the Prairies,” said Mike Jubinville of MarketsFarm.

“The biggest portion of Canada’s annual grain shipping season has passed, but plenty of grain still flows this time of year.”

In a worst-case scenario, significantly delayed shipments would result in grain elevators backing up, and cash basis prices widening.

— Marlo Glass writes for MarketsFarm, a Glacier FarmMedia division specializing in grain and commodity market analysis and reporting.

The post B.C. longshoremen to take strike vote this week appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.