Labour Dispute Threatens B.C. Ports

[canhauler]

Labour Dispute Threatens B.C. Ports

Nathan VanderKlippe,
Financial Post

Published: Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Courtesty of PRINCE RUPERT PORT AUTHORITY
The movement of goods through Canada's West Coast ports could slam to a halt in the New Year if a festering labour dispute is not resolved soon.

Workers at British Columbia ports in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and Prince Rupert will be in a position to strike beginning Jan. 2. Port officials say imports and exports of all commodities – save grain, whose shipments are protected by law – will immediately halt if that happens.

"Nothing could move," said one executive close to the talks. "It would affect the entire coast."


Negotiators for the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union have spent the past 60 days working with a pair of conciliators. Those talks were expected to halt Tuesday night, which was set as a pre-established conciliation deadline, but will resume Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. in hopes the two sides can find some resolution.

Stephen Brown, the president of the Chamber of Shipping of British Columbia, expressed confidence that a labour disruption will be avoided.

"I think they recognize that with economic situation as it is right now, to try and shut down or even just disrupt the port is not going to be acceptable, so better not to even go that route," he said. "Unemployment is on the increase throughout North America, so to take a major port down when [workers] have extremely high-paying jobs would be not a smart thing to do."

However, BCMEA President Andy Smith warned that talks are not going well. If a new contract is not signed by this weekend, when cargo bound for the West Coast starts loading in far eastern ports, international shipping lines will begin sending Vancouver-bound shipments elsewhere.

"The significant Canadian and American shippers are saying, 'if you don't' have a deal we're going to have to start to divert now'," Mr. Smith said. "So even if a deal is made between now and the second [of January], there will be as significant diminishing of business hitting the port."

If workers do strike, the political upheaval in Ottawa could worsen an already bad situation. In previous waterfront strikes, the outcry from across the country has forced the federal government to order workers back to work. But with Parliament prorogued until Jan. 27, "we wouldn't have access to Parliament ordering us back until sometime probably in the second week of February," Mr. Smith said.

The 450 ship and dock foremen with ILWU Local 514 have been without a contract since March 31, 2007. Other port workers concluded their negotiations earlier this year. However, they would almost certainly be compelled into a striking position if Local 514 walks off the job, since safety concerns and union solidarity would keep them from working without foremen on site. In total, 5,000 workers would be affected if Local 514 stops work.

A five-week strike beginning in June, 2005 strike by 1,200 Lower Mainland port truckers cost the country an estimated $85-million a day. Another strike, by 800 tug and barge workers in April, 2004, cost tens of millions a day, according to the B.C. government.

The Port of Vancouver alone moves $43-billion worth of goods a year, or $117-million a day.

The current round of labour negotiations has been snagged on contract language surrounding pension payments and working conditions. Mr. Smith faulted the union for presenting a number of letters of understanding this week that rekindled issues thought to have already been resolved.

"I don't think I've ever seen anything quite this egregious in 30-odd years," he said.

A receptionist at Local 514 said the union would have no comment.

"We don't really talk to reporters," she said.

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[petedabroker]

Let me be so bold as to give my futuristic explanation when truckers join the ILA in all American ports, what will happen if the ILA elects to strike.

It was announced today that the ILA , which represents ports on the East Coats, and Gulf, for the loading and discharging of vessels, would strike, if the associations representing the ports do not agree to a fair and reasonable contract. The ILA has been working for almost a year without a firm contract. Although in principle the ILA and the port associations had agreed on an extension, it was later determined that the lines have balked at not only that idea, but have demanded the ILA give up some of their retirement benefits, start paying half of their medical benefits, and all new hires would be able to take positions that were once controlled by seniority rules and regulations. Simply stated the ILA employees having over 30 years in their union will be subjected to the lose of their jobs by the new hires, who had been hired at 1/5th of the salary just two years ago. The heads of the ILA union are now trying to explain to their rank and file how all of this happened. Dock workers are all up in arms demanding the rights and benefits their fathers and grandfathers had worked so hard to accomplish will remain in tact.

The best news is the newly acquired portal truckers who joined this union last year, have stated they too will strike in alliance with their brothers and sisters at the ILA. They will not turn a wheel , start an engine, or move any freight until all the benefits have been reinstated to the port worker brothers. The head of the portal truckers union, a division of the ILA, said their division will also set up picket lines in uniformity with the dock workers.

Steamship lines, knowing they can replace the dock workers with the new hired at 1/5th., the rate, have given close attention to the truck division, since those workers would be next to impossible to replace. The head of the Steamship Trade Association was quoted as saying, "Now this is a whole new ballgame here" . "We can ill afford to have the truckers join into this labor dispute". It looks like both sides will sit back at the table and hammer out an agreement to avoid a total shutdown of the terminals in the U.S.A. . Mr. Richard Head , president of the ILA was quoted as saying, boy, that was a great thing we did back in 2009 to allow all those truckers and their firms to unionize under the ILA. Without their support only the lord knows where our a.s.s.e.s. would be now. Well I would think we would be on the picket lines, watching all the new hires take our jobs at 1/5th the salary and bad benefits, and not having the ability to do a d**n thing about it. Now, with the truckers union, we have a large hammer , holding a lot of weight behind it. Boy, I was great , those truckers saved our ever loving A.S.S.E.S. this time.

[petedabroker]

Let me also be so bold to explain, if the ILA elected not to have those truckers and their firms join into the union.

It was announced today , the ILA has no rights left to bargain. It seems their union had agreed to allow new hires into their organization at 1/5th the regular salary. By allowing such , the Steamship Lines and their Associations at different ports, have a well trained labor force, in position to take over the jobs that had been serviced for years by long term employee's of the ILA.

Although the picket lines have maintained their attendance at a variation of different ports in both the East Coast and Gulf, those numbers have diminished lately, knowing the new hires are their to stay. With the economy being in such a state of flux, so far the courts have allowed all of this to flourish, without taking any actions on the labor dispute. Judge Oreallythough was quoted as saying, "the courts shall not take any actions against the trade organizations, believing what they have done to replace the unionized labor with additional unionized labor is legal. It had been done in professional football, and to the air traffic controllers and we believe it to be perfectly legal to do the same with the dock workers union". he went on to day, "If only the ILA would of recognized the truckers as being a vital part of their union back in 2009, this might be a totally different picture being painted", sort of opportunity lost sort of thing".

[petedabroker]

All drivers copy the above post and give them all out to the ILA workers at the piers. Maybe it would be an eye opening adventure, something for them to ponder.

Last sentence should of read, "went on to say, not " went on to day, sorry for the error.