Vancouver port strike resumes as union rejects tentative deal

While it looked like the strike impacting workers at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority was nearing an end, the BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) said its tentative agreement was rejected. 

BCMEA said Tuesday the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) leadership rejected the agreement “before it was even taken to a vote of the full union membership.” 

It’s now been informed the strike will resume at 4:30 pm Tuesday. 

The ILWU began strike action on July 1, and the effects of that strike were felt immediately. Over 7,000 members were involved in the strike action.

Last week the Port of Vancouver suggested that progress was being made toward a deal “following Minister O’Regan’s request for a federal mediator to send a settlement proposal.”

The BCMEA said it and ILWU reached a tentative deal after 13 days of strike at Canada’s West Coast ports, however, “This fair and comprehensive package could not satisfy some of ILWU internal caucus leadership.”

The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade said that in the first 13 days of job action, $9.9 billion in trade had been disrupted.

“We are greatly concerned about the impacts the continuation of the strike will have on Canada’s international reputation as a reliable trade partner. In less than two weeks, business across Canada were facing shortages, temporary layoffs, and, in some cases, total shutdowns. The continuation of the strike will put these businesses at risk again,” Board of Trade president and CEO Bridgitte Anderson said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, we are beginning the process of restarting our Port Shutdown Calculator tool, which estimates a total of $800 million in trade will be disrupted each day. We are renewing our call for an expedited resolution of this disruption. We need the federal government to be an active participant in finding a resolution to reopen our ports.”

Daily Hive has reached out to ILWU and will update this article if a statement is received. 

You might also like:
• City and District of North Vancouver hiring for lots of well-paying jobs
• Coca-Cola shortage fears stoked as workers strike around Lower Mainland
• Want to work for Tesla? Here’s how Canadians can do it without a degree