BC port lockout: Employers release details of final proposal

The Maritime Employers Association of British Columbia has released details of its final offer to the union, which represents more than 700 foremen, ahead of a threatened lockout on Monday.

The proposal, dated Wednesday and addressed to International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 President Frank Morena, was released to reporters Saturday.

It includes a 19.2 percent increase over the four-year deal, which would run from April 2023 to March 31, 2027, as well as a 16 percent increase in pensions, a 10 percent increase in employer contributions to the social security program. and an average $21,000 lump sum for eligible employees, including post-contract wages.

The employers’ association said in an email to Morena that it has been negotiating with the union for nearly two years to extend the collective agreement, which expires in March 2023, and that the offer shows its “sincere commitment to complete negotiations.”

Morena could not be reached for comment, but previously said workers were “very angry” at the employers’ refusal to discuss key issues such as staffing requirements as the ports introduce more automation, and the lockout was “an attempt to force the federal government to step in.”

The union announced a 72-hour strike Thursday at 8 a.m. Monday, prompting the employers’ association to issue a formal notice saying it would “defensively” lock out members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Workers Union Local 514 starting at the same time.

Recently, the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest port, has already experienced several disruptions due to labor unrest.

The list includes days of picketing at several grain terminals in September, a shutdown of both of Canada’s major railways in August and a port workers’ strike last year that lasted 13 days and froze billions in dock trade.

Thursday’s extended labor action at the Port of Montreal also shut down two container terminals, halting 40 percent of container capacity at Canada’s second-largest port.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on November 2, 2024.