Dockworker Lockout Begins at Canada’s Largest Ports
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Dock employers in British Columbia shut out workers Nov. 4 after a union’s strike notice, bringing trade to a halt across Canada’s busiest and third-busiest ports.
An update from the BC Marine Employers Association said it made “the difficult decision to lockout forepersons” and other union members as of 4:30 p.m. Pacific time, until further notice.
A large array of freight activity was shut down or will be affected, including containers, automobiles, forestry, steel and fertilizer, according to a spokesperson for the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, who added the organization was working closely with industry to keep goods moving where possible.
The lockout disrupts an estimated C$800 million per day ($576 million), according to the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade.
UFCW Local 247 sends a message of solidarity to the 700 foreman at BC’s ports, members of ILWU Local 514, who’ve been locked out by the employer.
It’s time to get back to the table to negotiate a deal that they deserve.#bclab #cdnpoli #canlab #bclab pic.twitter.com/DzkzOV3Emo — UFCW Local 247 (@UFCWLocal247) November 5, 2024
The lockout comes after the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Ship & Dock Foremen Local 514, which represents about 730 workers at ports including Vancouver and Prince Rupert, gave a 72-hour advance notice on Oct. 31 of a walkout starting at 8 a.m. Pacific time Nov. 4.
The union had said the strike would be “limited job action only, with an overtime ban,” but the employer association said strikes can escalate without notice so the lockout was needed to “facilitate a safe and orderly wind-down of operations.”
Canada’s No. 2 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, and the North American transportation and logistics sectors have continued to be hit by labor disputes this year.
The 2023 British Columbia port strike reduced Canada’s gross domestic product by a figure between C$730 million and $980 million, and affected shipments worth C$10 billion, according to the Canadian government.
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