For Your Information
BC Port Workers' Strike
Squamish, July 4, 2023
The strike involves 7,400 terminal cargo loaders at more than 30 BC coastal ports including Canada's busiest in Vancouver. The 49 separate waterfront employers are represented by the BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA).
The port workers' union is called the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada. The union says contracting out, port automation and the rising cost of living are the key issues in the dispute with the employers. The port workers earlier voted 99.24 per cent in favour of a strike to pressure the employer to come to a suitable contract agreement. The contract with the BCMEA employer association expired this year on March 30. The ILWU Canada issued a statement at the time accusing the employers' association of demanding "major concessions'' from the union despite "record profits during the COVID-19 pandemic.''
BC port workers handle almost $225 billion worth of cargo a year. Economists estimate that the work-time of BC port workers contributes $2.7 billion of new value to Canada's annual Gross Domestic Product.
Approximately 15 per cent of container trade moving through the Port of Vancouver is destined to or originates from the U.S. with most items arriving or departing the ports by rail and smaller amounts by truck. The commodities include raw material, vehicles and their parts, apparel, electronics and home goods. Approximately two per cent of U.S. international laden imports arriving at West Coast ports each year move through the Port of Vancouver. In the north, approximately two-thirds of containerized import volumes coming into the Port of Prince Rupert are destined for the U.S. market by rail. Three Class 1 railways operate at BC ports, CN, Canadian Pacific, and BNSF, a subsidiary of the Berkshire Hathaway cartel.
The Canadian labour code forces port workers to handle grain vessels without disruption on penalty of fines and imprisonment. The union and employer confirmed an agreement that the current strike would not affect cruise ships docked in Vancouver, Prince Rupert or Vancouver Island.
Peak shipping season is said to start at this time encompassing back-to-school and winter holiday orders among other commodities. Ships are having trouble moving through the Panama Canal because of severe drought conditions. This has increased port activity up and down the west coasts of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Twenty-two thousand U.S. west coast port workers at 29 ports recently reached a new contract after nearly one year of struggle.
(Photos: ILWU Canada)
This article was published in
Number 35 - July 5, 2023
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/WF2023/Articles/WO10355.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca