(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.
Showing posts with label Vancouver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vancouver. Show all posts
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Feds Give $50 Million to Improve Traffic Flow at [Vancouver] Ports
(Vancouver Sun – Fiona Anderson)
The federal government is providing almost $50 million to make truck and train traffic run more smoothly at Vancouver’s ports.
The sum – up to $49.7 million – is part of a $125-million upgrade that will add 11 overpasses – one on Powell Street in east Vancouver and the rest on port lands on the south side of Burrard Inlet – to improve rail and road access to the terminals. The improvements will also accommodate longer trains travelling through the port lands and lead to shorter wait times for trucks and other vehicles.
The remaining money for the projects will be provided by Port Metro Vancouver and local container and grain terminals, as well as the City of Vancouver and Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railways.
These projects will not only improve the flow of traffic but will also create and sustain jobs “in the midst of the worst global recession in half a century,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper told a news conference at Ballantyne Pier. “They are as well laying the foundations for the longer-term prosperity of our country by creating the infrastructure that will strengthen our trading relationships with the rising economic powers of Asia,” Harper said. Read more here.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Port Slowdown Idles Trucks, Ships
(Surrey Leader – Jeff Nagel)
Slowing international trade due to the global recession is translating into fewer cargo ships calling on Vancouver-area harbours and more port workers and truckers being sidelined. Port Metro Vancouver reported a 22% drop in the number of containers it handled in February compared to a year ago. And shipments of other types of bulk cargo are down 44% so far in the first two months of the year.
“The number of vessels is down,” said Port Metro Vancouver Chief Operating Officer Chris Badger. “Clearly if the consumer is not buying, the demand drops,” he said, adding that’s playing out in reduced imports of containerized goods from Asia.
There’s also been less demand for Canada’s outgoing commodities. The biggest declines so far in 2008 are exports of logs – down 62% – and bulk potash, off 80%.Grain and food exports through the port are bucking the downward trend so far, up 18% in the first two months of the year. “People still need to eat,” Badger said.
The port authority is projecting the decline will moderate later in the year, ending 2009 down about four per cent in general cargo and seven per cent for containers compared to 2008.
Badger says the drop this year doesn’t change the port’s long-term outlook or its need to expand to satisfy future projected demand. “The world will come out of this,” he said. “It’s about being positioned to take advantage of the uptake when it happens.” Read more here.
Slowing international trade due to the global recession is translating into fewer cargo ships calling on Vancouver-area harbours and more port workers and truckers being sidelined. Port Metro Vancouver reported a 22% drop in the number of containers it handled in February compared to a year ago. And shipments of other types of bulk cargo are down 44% so far in the first two months of the year.
“The number of vessels is down,” said Port Metro Vancouver Chief Operating Officer Chris Badger. “Clearly if the consumer is not buying, the demand drops,” he said, adding that’s playing out in reduced imports of containerized goods from Asia.
There’s also been less demand for Canada’s outgoing commodities. The biggest declines so far in 2008 are exports of logs – down 62% – and bulk potash, off 80%.Grain and food exports through the port are bucking the downward trend so far, up 18% in the first two months of the year. “People still need to eat,” Badger said.
The port authority is projecting the decline will moderate later in the year, ending 2009 down about four per cent in general cargo and seven per cent for containers compared to 2008.
Badger says the drop this year doesn’t change the port’s long-term outlook or its need to expand to satisfy future projected demand. “The world will come out of this,” he said. “It’s about being positioned to take advantage of the uptake when it happens.” Read more here.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, March 9, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, February 9, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Lines Diverting Vancouver Ships as Union Talks Go On
(Journal of Commerce Online – Courtney Tower)
Diversion of container ships from Canada’s west coast Port of Vancouver have 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 Friday with “some issues resolved – it was a positive thing, a cause for some optimism,” BCMEA Vice President Greg Vurdela said in an interview.
Talks are scheduled to resume 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, Washington. Read more here.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Employers, ILWU Resume Contract Talks at Vancouver
(Journal of Commerce Online – Courtney Tower)
Employers and foremen represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union returned to contract negotiations Friday in Vancouver facing the possibility of a strike at western Canadian ports as early as January 2.
“The employers are looking for a signal of willingness [by the 450 ship and dock foremen] to pick up the pace of the negotiations,” said Greg Vurdela, vice president of the British Columbia Maritime Employers’ Association. “We will know that when we sit down at 9.30 a.m. [local time] whether there is a sign of hope for a resolution,” he said.
Vurdela spoke as employers broke a media blackout during the talks, which adjourned Monday when no progress was made with the union, which represents 5,160 port employees. The union members have been working without a contract since March, 2007, and negotiations have moved desultorily since April, 2008.
A strike or lockout would halt container-handling at Vancouver, Canada’s busiest gateway for Asia imports, and Prince Rupert, a growing entry point for Asia trade moving to the U.S. Midwest.
Employers in the new contract want to introduce new technology on the docks in order to modernize work processes and improve efficiencies. A similar demand to call dockworkers electronically instead of by historic union hall morning calls was settled earlier this year.
The ILWU continues to refrain from commenting, but it is known that after talks failed to progress Monday, both sides sought and received reaffirmation from their memberships of their negotiating positions.
Friday’s bargaining is taking place under the auspices of two federal mediators, who for the first time will take a more active role in the talks. Read more here.
Employers and foremen represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union returned to contract negotiations Friday in Vancouver facing the possibility of a strike at western Canadian ports as early as January 2.
“The employers are looking for a signal of willingness [by the 450 ship and dock foremen] to pick up the pace of the negotiations,” said Greg Vurdela, vice president of the British Columbia Maritime Employers’ Association. “We will know that when we sit down at 9.30 a.m. [local time] whether there is a sign of hope for a resolution,” he said.
Vurdela spoke as employers broke a media blackout during the talks, which adjourned Monday when no progress was made with the union, which represents 5,160 port employees. The union members have been working without a contract since March, 2007, and negotiations have moved desultorily since April, 2008.
A strike or lockout would halt container-handling at Vancouver, Canada’s busiest gateway for Asia imports, and Prince Rupert, a growing entry point for Asia trade moving to the U.S. Midwest.
Employers in the new contract want to introduce new technology on the docks in order to modernize work processes and improve efficiencies. A similar demand to call dockworkers electronically instead of by historic union hall morning calls was settled earlier this year.
The ILWU continues to refrain from commenting, but it is known that after talks failed to progress Monday, both sides sought and received reaffirmation from their memberships of their negotiating positions.
Friday’s bargaining is taking place under the auspices of two federal mediators, who for the first time will take a more active role in the talks. Read more here.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
It’s Full Steam Ahead for Port of Vancouver Expansion
(CBC News)
Metro Vancouver’s port authority is steaming ahead with a multibillion-dollar expansion despite the triple threat of a global financial crisis, increased competition and a slowdown in shipping traffic.
The port plans to spend about $4.5 billion over the next 10 years on a new terminal in Delta, and on the expansion of the existing container facilities and the possible expansion of the cruise ship terminal in Vancouver.
Port Metro Vancouver CEO Gordon Houston said he expects business will be down through much of next year, but that won’t change the port’s long-term plans. “When we put a piece of infrastructure in place, it’s there 100 years. It’s not a short-term business and we have a lot of confidence in the long term,” he said.
Houston said he doesn’t know how much business the port has lost, because the effects of the global economic slowdown are just starting to show up locally. “The shipping world is usually a few months behind economic events because it works on contract, but definitely the numbers are down,” said Houston.
Vancouver is competing with Los Angeles, Seattle and even Prince Rupert for dwindling shipping traffic, he noted. In June there weren’t enough ships to meet demand, said Houston. Now demand and rates have plummeted.
Port Metro Vancouver was created when the federal government amalgamated the three smaller local port authorities at the start of this year.
Metro Vancouver’s port authority is steaming ahead with a multibillion-dollar expansion despite the triple threat of a global financial crisis, increased competition and a slowdown in shipping traffic.
The port plans to spend about $4.5 billion over the next 10 years on a new terminal in Delta, and on the expansion of the existing container facilities and the possible expansion of the cruise ship terminal in Vancouver.
Port Metro Vancouver CEO Gordon Houston said he expects business will be down through much of next year, but that won’t change the port’s long-term plans. “When we put a piece of infrastructure in place, it’s there 100 years. It’s not a short-term business and we have a lot of confidence in the long term,” he said.
Houston said he doesn’t know how much business the port has lost, because the effects of the global economic slowdown are just starting to show up locally. “The shipping world is usually a few months behind economic events because it works on contract, but definitely the numbers are down,” said Houston.
Vancouver is competing with Los Angeles, Seattle and even Prince Rupert for dwindling shipping traffic, he noted. In June there weren’t enough ships to meet demand, said Houston. Now demand and rates have plummeted.
Port Metro Vancouver was created when the federal government amalgamated the three smaller local port authorities at the start of this year.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Vancouver Port Plans Big Spending for Expansion
(Journal of Commerce Online – Courtney Tower)
Port Metro Vancouver plans spending of just under C$1 billion to improve and expand operations between 2008 and 2018. The 10-year capital investment of $950 million, not including expected land acquisitions, is by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, known as Port Metro Vancouver, out of its own resources. The authority is owned by the Canadian government but gets no funds or subsidies from it.
Terminals and other cargo-related tenants of the port plan to spend an additional $3.2 billion on capital investments, in an overall spending plan by port tenants of $4.25 billion, according to a consultants’ report published Tuesday.
The report says some firms planning capital expenditures reported doing so “with the caveat that business continued to be ‘good.’ “That would mean that further investments depended on Port Metro Vancouver remaining competitive among the Ports of Seattle, Tacoma and Los Angeles.” Read the rest here.
Port Metro Vancouver plans spending of just under C$1 billion to improve and expand operations between 2008 and 2018. The 10-year capital investment of $950 million, not including expected land acquisitions, is by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, known as Port Metro Vancouver, out of its own resources. The authority is owned by the Canadian government but gets no funds or subsidies from it.
Terminals and other cargo-related tenants of the port plan to spend an additional $3.2 billion on capital investments, in an overall spending plan by port tenants of $4.25 billion, according to a consultants’ report published Tuesday.
The report says some firms planning capital expenditures reported doing so “with the caveat that business continued to be ‘good.’ “That would mean that further investments depended on Port Metro Vancouver remaining competitive among the Ports of Seattle, Tacoma and Los Angeles.” Read the rest here.
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