VANCOUVER, British Columbia — A tentative agreement may be in place that would end the labor dispute at British Columbia ports.
A posting on the website of International Longshore and Warehouse Union of Canada Local 502, representing workers along the Fraser River, says a tentative agreement between the union and the BC Maritime Employers Association was reached on Wednesday, July 19. It reports an “emergency contract caucus” will be held today to determine whether to send that agreement to the union’s full membership for ratification.
The Canadian Press reports the union and employers group did not confirm the existence of a tentative deal.
Until an agreement is reached, the threat of a resumption of a walkout continues to hang over 30 ports, including the Vancouver and Prince Rupert ports that generate significant rail intermodal traffic. The ILWU went on strike July 1, returning to work after 13 days when a tentative agreement was reached.
But when the union rejected that deal, workers walked out again on Tuesday, only to be ordered back to work when a Canadian government agency ruled that walkout was illegal because the ILWU had not provided a new 72-hour notice of intent to strike. Workers then returned as the union then issued a new notice on Wednesday, but rescinded it within hours, leaving an unsettled labor situation [see “Resumption of British Columbia port strike …,” Trains News Wire, July 19, 2023].
