Dockworker Lockout Begins at Canada’s Largest Ports
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Dock employers in British Columbia said they will lock out workers Nov. 4 in response to a union’s strike notice, halting trade at terminals across Canada’s busiest and third-busiest ports.
The BC Marine Employers Association said it made “the difficult decision to lockout forepersons and other Local 514 members” as of 4:30 p.m. Pacific time, continuing until further notice.
The lockout follows the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Ship & Dock Foremen Local 514’s 72-hour advance notice Oct. 31 of a walkout starting at 8 a.m. Pacific time Nov. 4. The union represents about 730 workers at ports including Vancouver and Prince Rupert.
The union had said the strike would be “limited job action only, with an overtime ban and a refusal to implement tech change,” but the employer group said strikes can escalate without notice, so the lockout was needed to “facilitate a safe and orderly wind-down of operations.”
ILWU Local 514 didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Canada’s second-largest port, Montreal, has seen intermittent stoppages in recent weeks because of an issue with a separate dockworker union.
Last year, a 13-day strike by more than 7,000 longshore workers caused large-scale disruption at Canada’s west coast ports. The North American transportation and logistics sectors have continued to face labor disputes this year.
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