CN Rail Stoppage Averted, Contract Agreement Reached

(Courtney Tower — BarCode Border)

CN Withdraws Work Rules Threat

A threatened strike or lockout in the Canadian National Railway system is off. Late Friday, a tentative three-year collective agreement was reached with 2,700 operating employees, who still must vote to ratify it.

After a week of last-ditch negotiations in Montreal, CN withdrew demands to eliminate two sets of jobs and from its announced plan to impose new work rules on the workers starting Monday. Contract talks had broken off last spring in what a federal conciliation commissioner, in a scathing report blaming both sides, called an atmosphere of “dysfunctional” relations.

CN briefly announced Friday night that it “will have labor stability with this group for the next three years,” but gave no details. However, Bryan Boechler, a spokesman for Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, representing the conductors, trainmen and switching yard workers, told The Bar-Code Border that CN's imposition of new work rules was “off the table.” CN President Claude Mongeau had written to all these employees with this threat if the union would not agree to a new contract.

Read more at The Bar-Code Border.

Demonstration in Support to our Support (CR/AS) Staff Members

(PR Net-USA)

On Monday, September 27, 2010, the members of the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) will march in front of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Offices at 400, Place d’Youville in Montreal, Quebec between 7 and 9 am to support their fellow Sisters and Brothers Support Staff (CR and AS) members.

The Customs and Immigration Union has been aware since 2007 that a pilot project is taken place in Montreal, QC to address the issue of CR/AS job descriptions. It was brought about by the fact that there were 185 job descriptions that covered various support staff positions nationally. These descriptions have followed the now CBSA throughout its legacy evolution. Most of these job descriptions have been identified as inaccurate, improperly classified, obsolete, out-of-date and not reflective of duties performed by those members.

The Support Staff Community and CIU have been very frustrated with the slow approach and disregard apparent in this process. CIU has been approached by numerous CR/AS members seeking an expedient and fair resolve to their job description and classification issues. Many of these members feel this is also an equity issue due to the fact that it’s predominantly a female dominated group. CIU is looking into this as also being a Human Rights issue. Read more here.

Backlog Cripples Port of Montreal After Lockout

(Canoe.ca – Olivier Bourque)

The lock-out at the Port of Montreal may have ended, but things are still not running without a hitch, something that truckers en route for the port discovered the hard way...

For some, it took two or three hours to enter the port to pickup or unload their cargo. By mid-day, about 50 trucks were lined up to enter the port on Boucherville Road. At the exit, one driver was taking a philosophical approach to the situation.

"I had to wait about four hours," said Dubois. "Normally, it takes me only an hour. The lock-out didn't help, but it's been since the start of the summer that it has been hard like this. What can you do?" [...]

The Port said things should return to normal within a week. In the meantime, truck drivers are being forced to be patient. Lejeune said that suggestions from some truckers to open certain terminals earlier or later in the day is not feasible. The different port terminals have also given a grace period of five days to trucking companies to allow them time to pick up their merchandise. Read more here.

Longshoremen and Employers Reach Agreement

(The Montreal Gazette)

Montreal's longshoremen and the Maritime Employers Association have come to an agreement to end the lock-out at Montreal's harbour. The city's 900-plus dock workers are expected to return to work on Saturday morning. "It's very good for us and for the people of Montreal and for the businesses," said Daniel Tremblay, president of the longshoremen's union, CUPE Local 375.

The dock workers will vote on the agreement Friday morning, but Tremblay says he is confident the majority will be in favour. The city's longshoremen were locked out on Monday morning after contract negotiations fell through. Container ships had to be re-routed to the United States, causing concerns among business owners about shipment delays.

CBSA Message: Release Processing Disruptions - Marine Port of Montreal

(CBSA)

As a result of recent disruptions at the marine port of Montréal, marine vessels may be diverted to another marine port.

Importers and brokers are encouraged to review any recently transmitted release transactions for shipments imported via the marine mode through the marine port of Montréal.

Due to the diversion of the marine vessels, the port of release and sub-location code as originally indicated on the release request may need to be changed. Brokers are encouraged to remain in contact with their marine carrier to ensure they are made aware of any changes.

Requests for changes to the port or warehouse sub-location code after goods have been released must be submitted on Form A48 - RMD Correction to the CBSA office where the goods are physically located.

Questions concerning the release of commercial goods may be sent to release-mainlevee@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca.

Ottawa Sails Into Port Dispute

(The Montreal Gazette)

Federal Labour Minister Lisa Raitt has referred the Port of Montreal dispute to the Canadian Industrial Relations Board.

The action was taken yesterday in response to concerns raised about the supply of goods to Newfoundland and Labrador, Raitt's office said in a statement.

"We must ensure that the health and safety of the public are not jeopardized," Raitt said in the statement.

About half of the goods destined for Newfoundland go through Montreal's port, that province said Monday, the first day of the longshoremen's lockout in Montreal.

The longshoremen's union and the association representing shipping lines are to meet with CIRB officials Saturday morning in Montreal.

"We understand that (the federal government) wants us to unload ships that carry medications and goods related to health," said Daniel Tremblay, president of CUPE Local 375, the Longshoremen's Union.

This morning,(Thursday), Tremblay, other union officials and representatives of the Maritime Employers Association are to meet with federal mediators in a session tentatively set before the lockout began. Read more here.

Talks Imminent in Port of Montreal Lockout

(CTV.ca)

Progress has begun to emerge in on the second day of the Port of Montreal lockout Tuesday. Contract negotiations are set to begin Thursday, and the Longshoremen’s Union, Local 375 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees representing 850 longshoremen said Tuesday afternoon it is ready to begin discussions Wednesday.

Ships have been stalled from moving in and out of the port since Monday morning, stalling cargo from import/export companies and threatening business across the city and country.

As much as 60 per cent of exports, other than those to the U.S., transit through the Port of Montreal.

The lockout will cost the Maritime Employers Association $800,000 per week, spokeman Gilles Corriveau said Tuesday.

At issue for the union is job security, as well as keeping guaranteed payments when longshoremen are on-call and waiting for work.

The longshoremen, who unload shipping containers full of goods at the port, have been without a contract since Dec. 31, 2008. Read more here.

Halifax Prepared to Move Cargo

(The Chronicle Herald)

The Port of Halifax hasn’t been called, but it is ready to take up any slack caused by the longshoremen’s lockout at the Port of Montreal.

“There is a potential that cargo may need to move through Halifax,” Halifax Port Authority spokeswoman Michele Peveril said in an interview Monday. [...]

Peveril said the Port of Halifax is monitoring the situation in the event Port of Montreal customers need to move their cargo to market through other transportation channels.

“If we can be helpful, we will be,” she said Read more here.

Labour Dispute Shuts Port of Montreal

(CTV News)

Commercial operations at the Port of Montreal slid to a halt Monday after the Maritime Employers Association ordered a lockout until further notice.

All operations have stopped except for the grain silos, which are run by the port itself and not affected by the lockout, a spokesman for the association said. He estimates about 98 per cent of operations are affected.

The union representing some 900 longshoremen said earlier that the workers would be locked out by the employers association as of 8 a.m. ET.

“No boats are coming in, no boats are being unloaded, no boats are going out,” said Gilles Corriveau, spokesman for the association. Read more here.

CN Rail, Union Seek Arbitration After Talks Fail

(Cargonews Asia)

Canadian National Railway and the union representing 1,700 locomotive engineers will submit unresolved wage and benefits issues to binding arbitration after talks failed to yield a deal, Reuters reported.

Canada’s largest railway resumed labour talks with the Teamsters union on December 3 after a brief strike. The company and union had agreed to put outstanding issues to binding arbitration if no agreement was reached.

CN said talks ended on Saturday without a settlement. “The federal minister of labour will now appoint an arbitrator, who will have 90 days following his or her appointment to report to the minister with a final decision on a new collective agreement,” the company said in a statement. “Nothing precludes CN or the (union) from agreeing to further negotiations once the arbitration process starts.”

The railway said no further strike action is permitted under the dispute resolution mechanism, nor can CN lock out the union.

CN Ramps Up After Strike Ends

(Journal of Commerce Online – John D. Boyd)

Railroad acts quickly to resume normal operations

Canadian National Railway was ramping its operations back up December 3 following a five-day strike by locomotive engineers, but it was not clear how long it would take Canada’s largest railroad to get back to full service. Industry sources had said during the strike that it would take at least several days to get all crews back on regular schedules and get train traffic back to a pre-strike pace. Read more here.

Vancouver Airport Workers Threaten Holiday Strike

(Reuters via The Province)

Unionized workers who sort baggage at the Vancouver International Airport warned on Tuesday they may walk off the job during the busy Christmas holiday season. The 300 workers employed by Swissport have approved a strike mandate and talks over wages and job security are at an impasse, according to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union.

The union said the company’s latest offer contained no pay increase for lower seniority workers who make up a majority of the workforce. “This offer is nothing short of crap,” local union Chairman Todd Haverstock said in a statement. Read more here.

Vancouver Truck Dispute Ends

(Journal of Commerce)

Drivers reach agreement with three companies

Container truck drivers at Port Metro Vancouver reached an agreement that will avoid a threatened strike.

Approximately 140 drivers had voted for a strike against three associated trucking companies. Instead, they resolved the dispute, which was about fees to be paid for moving containers between the port and off-dock storage sites, Bob Simpson, owner of the three companies, told the Vancouver Sun.

Vancouver Port to Stay Open Despite Strike

(Journal of Commerce Online – Courtney Tower)

Driver dispute involves trucking companies, not port

Port Metro Vancouver said it will remain open for business whether or not some local container truck drivers go on strike next week. And if any picket port property, they will lose their permits to serve the port, the Port Authority said.

A statement on the Port Authority’s Web site Tuesday refers to a Journal of Commerce Newswire report Monday that 140 owner-operators working for two trucking companies had voted in favor of a possible strike as soon as Monday, May 4, since contract talks with the companies had broken off. The story quoted Stu Shields, national representative in Vancouver of Canadian Auto Workers union Local 2006. Read more here.

Labour Peace Secured with B.C. Port Workers; Truckers Still Negotiating

(Canadian Transportation & Logistics)

Labour peace has been achieved between the B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 514, after a tentative agreement reached last month was signed by both parties.

“Representatives from the BCMEA and ILWU Local 514 met (on Friday), confirming their respective memberships have ratified the collective agreement in effect between April 01, 2007 and March 31, 2010,” said Greg Vurdela, vice-president marketing and information services, BCMEA.

The 450 ship and dock foremen with ILWU have been without a contract since March 31, 2007. There has been no comment by ILWU Local 514 during the negotiation process, or since the ratification vote. According to BCMEA, the main issue has been the cost of the contract.

However, labour peace has not yet been fully realized at Vancouver ports. Unionized truckers who haul freight at the Port of Vancouver have been without a contract since December 31, 2008, and negotiations have not been smooth. Read more here.

BC Ports Workers, Employers Ratify Collective Agreement

(Greg Joyce — Globe & Mail)

Negotiations were long and hard but there is now labour peace that will keep goods flowing at British Columbia ports.

The B.C. Maritime Employers Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union ratified a collective agreement that averted a costly strike threat.

“From our perspective clearly we had a majority of employers in favour of ratifying the agreement,” Greg Vurdela, spokesman for the employers association, said Saturday.

He didn't release voting figures and no one from the union was immediately available to comment.

“(Economic) figures released earlier indicate that for every day of a work stoppage in the ports of B.C. it is a cost of $124-million to the Canadian economy,” said Mr. Vurdela.

While the dispute involved only 450 workers, there were fears that as many as 5,000 other workers would walk off the job in support.

That could have crippled ports along Canada's Pacific Coast, and had already prompted as much as a fifth of shipping traffic to be diverted through the U.S. Read more here.

Tentative Deal Averts Strike at B.C. Ports

(CBC News)

About 450 B.C. dock workers have reached a tentative deal with an association representing about 67 port employers, averting a potentially crippling strike at the ports in Vancouver and Prince Rupert.

Local 514 of the International Longshore Warehouse Union reached a tentative agreement Friday with the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association, but the details won’t be released until members on both sides have time to see the deal.

If both sides approve it, the deal would avert a strike that would threaten to halt cargo traffic through B.C. There have been fears that as many as 5,000 other workers involved in port operations would walk off the job to show their support if the union went on strike.

Local 514 workers have been without a contract since March 2007, and had set a strike date of January 2, but continued to work while negotiations were underway.

The main issues on the table were reportedly pension payments and working conditions.

B.C. Port Labour Talks to Resume February 12

(Alberta Farmer – Alana Vannahme)

Federally appointed mediators have set February 12-13 as the next dates for contract negotiations between Local 514 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union of Canada (ILWU) and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA).

The two groups have been trying for months to draft a new collective agreement and avoid a strike at B.C.’s busy Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and Prince Rupert ports. The local’s members, roughly 450 ship and dock foremen, have been without a contract since March 2008. Since then, efforts to reach a labour agreement have been unsuccessful, including an intense round of negotiations which began in December after the local threatened to issue a 72-hour strike notice at the beginning of January.

In the event of a strike, it’s expected that more than 5,000 other ILWU members would support Local 514 by joining the picket line.

Some companies that rely on the busy West Coast gateways to transport goods in and out of Canada have been diverting their freight away from B.C. since the threat of a strike in January first emerged. However, the January 26 resumption of the House of Commons following a seven-week suspension has taken some of the uncertainty out of the situation.

If a strike were to occur now, the union’s members could be legislated back to work by the federal government, a move they have supported in the past.

Vancouver Port Negotiations Continue Between ILWU, CAW

(Jan Westell — Canadian Transportation & Logistics)

Negotiations continue between the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 (ILWU), who have been working for over three months towards a resolution.

The two parties met on Jan. 15, with the assistance of John Rooney, one of two federal mediators appointed to the discussions. At that time, the parties exchanged proposals and have agreed to meet on Jan. 23 at 9:30 a.m. “Further up-dates will be provided as significant events occur,” said Greg Vurdela, vice-president of marketing and information services for BCMEA. Read more here.

Carriers Divert Ships from Vancouver

(Pacific Shipper)

The diversion of container ships from Canada’s west coast Port Metro Vancouver has become “significant” as marathon collective bargaining continues between waterfront employers and union foremen.

Another in a series of day-long bargaining sessions between the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 ended on January 9 with “some issues resolved – it was a positive thing, a cause for some optimism,” BCMEA Vice President Greg Vurdela said in an interview.

Talks were scheduled to resume on January 15 under federal mediation.While the bargaining has continued at a leisurely pace, with five and six days between meetings, the threat of a strike or lockout being called on three days’ notice has spurred nervous shipping lines to divert their vessels from Vancouver to regional rivals such as Tacoma and Seattle.

“Cargo in this atmosphere of uncertainty is clearly not coming to ports of British Columbia that would have been coming here,” Vurdela said. “That began in mid- to third-week- December, and it’s not just a few ships,” Vurdela said, without giving specific numbers. “It’s a significant number of ships, and it does have an economic impact.” Read more here.