Maritime employers and the union representing some 700 port foremen in British Colombia have announced a new collective agreement extending to 2027. Details of the agreement have not yet been released following a bitter conflict that saw the federal government impose binding arbitration last November. Work disruptions had notably severely hit container traffic at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert and Canadian supply chains.
The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Ship and Dock Foremen Local 514 said in a joint statement on June 4 that the new collective agreement extends from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2027.
“We look forward to working together to implement the terms of the agreement,” the two sides said in the statement.
It was the second major labour agreement for Canada’s West Coast ports in place until March 2027, after a previous deal with thousands of port dockers that was signed in August 2023 following a strike.
Last November 4, the conflict took its most drastic turn when employers locked out members of Local 514 in what they called “a defensive action.” The union had voted to authorize strike action but said at the time that members were only planning partial job actions such as an overtime ban. Then they were locked out until the federal government intervened on Nov. 12.
The Canada Industrial Relations Board ruled that a strike by foremen was illegal because kit targeted one terminal operator, DP World Centerm, due to its automated rail crane operations.
(Photo of DP World Centerm terminal)