By Leo Ryan, Editor
The Unifor union this afternoon indicated it was willing to continue negotiations with the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation after the scheduled bargaining dates to attempt to reach an agreement before a strike would shut down all operations along the Seaway at 11:59 p.m., Saturday, October 21.
Should such a work stoppage take place, it would be the first on the St. Lawrence Seaway since June 1968 – when nearly 300 vessels were idled for 24 days. This potential major disruption of the binational waterway has stirred a big cry of alarm from the American Great Lakes Ports Association which, in a letter, today urged Canada’s Minister of Transport, Pablo Rodriguez, and Labor Minister Seamus O’Reagan to help resolve the conflict quickly and prevent a disruption to commerce that would have “disastrous impacts.”
“Unifor is committed to getting a collective agreement but at this moment the employer is not,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “We are staring down a strike deadline and it’s time for St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation to get serious.”
“At this time, the union and employer remain 1,000 nautical miles apart on wages,” Unifor said.
The union has been working for months to negotiate agreements for members in five local unions at work sites in Ontario and Quebec. The current contracts expired on March 31, 2023.
“It’s really up to the employer at this point to seal this deal and avoid any transit disruption,” said Daniel Cloutier, Unifor Quebec Director. “These are jobs that require intense training, a high level of understanding of the health and safety risks, and that carry enormous responsibility for the wellbeing of seafarers and their cargo. They are irreplaceable.”
A strike would shut down shipping through the Seaway and involve workers in Locals 4211, 4212 and 4323 in Ontario and Locals 4319 and 4320 in Quebec.
Unifor members in the supervisory and engineering group of workers in Locals 4211 and 4319 rejected a tentative agreement on August 1, 2023 and have aligned their plans with the maintenance, operations and administrative unit. All units issued notice to strike on October 18, 2023.
Cry of alarm from American Great Lakes Ports
“Seaway commerce serves important sectors of the North American economy, including steel making, energy, agriculture, construction, and manufacturing,” noted AGLPA Executive Director Steve Fisher in a letter to the two Canadian ministers. “A recent economic impact analysis of commerce through the Seaway documents that in 2022 the waterway handled more than 36 2 million tons of cargo and supported more than 24,000 jobs in the United States and 42,000 in Canada.
“A 2020 analysis of mid-season closure scenarios shows that a two-week closure would result in the loss of 19,227 jobs; a five-week closure would result in the loss of 21,046 jobs; and an 8- week closure would result in the loss of 22,144 jobs.
“Beyond the immediate economic impacts, we fear the looming work stoppage will damage the record of reliability that users of the system have come to depend upon. As an inland transportation system, the Seaway competes with other modes of transportation such as rail and trucking. Further, the Seaway system competes with the U.S. inland river barge system. In these ways, supply chain managers have options, and they will make transport decisions based on cost and reliability.”
(Seaway photo)
