Western Canada Dock Workers Vote to Accept Contract Offer
Dock workers in western Canada voted to accept an improved labor contract after a month-long dispute that affected trade and disrupted operations at the country's busiest ports, their union said on Friday.The vote was 74.66% in favor of the terms of the settlement, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) said in a statement.Disagreements in contract negotiations have disrupted billions of dollars in trade, raising concerns about fueling inflation.The union provisionally agreed to a new contract on Sunday, averting an immediate strike, but the agreement needed to be approved
It’s Time for an Industrial Inquiry Commission into Ports and Automation
affecting British Columbia ports with the help of the Industrial Relations Board.At the beginning of July, about 7,400 port workers went on strike for 13 days over issues including automation, outside contracting and the increasing cost of living.This new deal — between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU) and the B.C. Maritime Employers Association — comes after union members rejected a previous deal on July 28.By initially rejecting the first contract, ILWU members implied that a generous wage and benefit package — which employers had agreed to pay &mdash
Canada's Pacific Dock Workers Ordered by Labor Watchdog to End Strike
federal watchdog, ruled on Wednesday that the Pacific coast dock workers' strike must end because their union did not provide the required 72-hour notice before the walkout."This strike is illegal," Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan said on Twitter after the ruling. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) had no immediate comment.On Tuesday the ILWU leadership rejected a tentative four-year contract deal agreed with employers last week that ended a 13-day strike, and said the 7,500 dock workers would return to the picket line."My patience has run out," Transport
Canada Port Strike Resumes
Dock workers at ports along Canada's Pacific coast rejected a tentative four-year wage deal agreed with their employers last week and returned to the picket line, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) said on Tuesday.The ILWU represents some 7,500 dock workers, who walked off the job on July 1 after failing to reach a new work contract with the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), which represents the companies involved.In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, the ILWU said its members had voted down the recommended terms of settlement because they did not
Canadian Port Strike Talks Resume, Supported by Federal Mediators
Talks in Pacific Canada between striking dock workers and their employers have resumed after four days away from the negotiation table, a statement on Saturday by the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) showed.The BCMEA and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU Canada) met on Saturday, supported by federal mediators, the statement said. The talks had stalled on Tuesday and the two sides broke off negotiations.Some 7,500 port workers went on strike on July 1 for higher wages, upending operations at the Port of Vancouver and Port of Prince Rupert - key gateways
Thousands of Port Workers in Canada's British Columbia Go on Strike
workers in Canada's western province of British Columbia went on strike after failing to reach a deal to renew an industry-wide contract that expired in March, a waterfront employers group said on Saturday.The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) said it and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU Canada) had met Thursday and Friday in talks supported by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service."Unfortunately, a tentative agreement could not be reached," the BCMEA said in a statement.ILWU Canada members were on strike at sites across British
Tentative US West Coast Port Contract Deal Reached
and employers of 22,000 dockworkers at U.S. West Coast ports on Wednesday said they have reached a tentative deal on a new six-year contract, ending 13 months of talks and easing supply chain worries.The deal was reached with assistance from Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) employer group said in a joint statement.President Joe Biden, who dispatched Su to the negotiations in San Francisco earlier this week, said she "used her deep experience and judgment to keep the parties talking, working with
White House Says West Coast Port Negotiations Show Some Progress
said, adding that Su "has invaluable expertise working closely with these parties."Business groups are pressuring U.S. President Joe Biden to intervene and appoint an independent mediator to finalize a contract since West Coast ports are critical to U.S. supply chains.International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) dockworkers at ports from California to Washington state have been working without a contract since July 2022. Unions are pressing for a bigger share of record profits reaped when cargo shipments surged during the pandemic.Contract talks hit a bump on June 1. Since then
Cargo Operations Halt at the Port of Seattle Amid Labor Dispute
PMA says US West Coast port workers shut down Port of Seattle; workers' union denies claimThe Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents terminal operators, said in a tweet on Saturday that coordinated and disruptive work actions led by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) have shut down cargo operations at the Port of Seattle."On the first shift today, the ILWU refused to dispatch any longshore workers to container terminals, the PMA said, resulting in the shutdown of the port.The ILWU, however, said that the West Coast ports are open and accused the PMA of
Business Group Urges Biden to Intervene in West Coast Ports Labor Dispute
of Commerce CEO Suzanne Clark in a letter to Biden cited "continued and potentially expanded service disruptions at these ports heading into peak shipping season."Tensions remain high as negotiators for the employers' Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and workers' International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) tussle over wages and retroactive pay in the last leg of talks that have stretched into their 13th month.Unions are asking for a pay increase that reflects workers' contribution to the ocean shipping industry's record profits from the pandemic cargo boom. They also
Jobs at Stake as California Port Terminal Upgrades to Green Technology
than their labor-based counterparts. This was because fixed automated systems cannot expand and contract with cargo fluctuations like human crews, and because automated operations may not boost performance enough to justify the heftier equipment costs.A report underwritten by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) representing West Coast dock workers found that in 2020 and 2021, the Long Beach terminal had 392 fewer jobs than it would have had if it were not automated.A competing report commissioned by the Pacific Maritime Association employer group found that from 2015, the last
Biden Encourages Continued Collective Bargaining in US Ports Dispute
retailers and manufacturers urged the White House on Monday to intervene in contentious labor negotiations, citing worries about shipping disruptions during critical holiday shopping seasons.Contract talks between the employers' Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and workers' International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) are in the final stretch, but frustrations are running high after more than a year at the negotiating table.(Reuters - Reporting by Jeff Mason, writing by Kanishka Singh
Retailers, Manufacturers Urge White House to Mediate in West Coast Ports Labor Dispute
similar disruptions on Friday in Oakland, California.More than 22,000 dockworkers at ports stretching from California to Washington state have been working without a contract since July.Contract talks between the employers' Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and workers' International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) are in the final stretch, but frustrations are running high after more than a year at the negotiating table."We urge the administration to mediate to ensure the parties quickly finalize a new contract without additional disruptions," said David French, senior vice
US West Coast Port Labor Unrest Continues Amid Pay Quarrel
Terminals International LLC (TTI) in a notice to customers said all appointments were canceled for the first gate shift. Mediterranean Shipping Company SA (MSC), the world's largest container shipping line, owns a majority stake in the terminal.Representatives from TTI and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), representing some 22,000 West Coast dockworkers, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.TTI decided to close on Monday "based on its own operational needs," said port spokesperson Lee Peterson, who added that the port's other terminals were operating
Top US Shipping Gateway Mostly Closes Due to Port Worker Shortage
Long Beach workers, including operators needed to load and unload cargo, failed to show up on the job starting Thursday evening, according to the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents employers.The PMA said the missing workers were a result of a coordinated action by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) to withhold labor as contract talks drag on"The action by the union has effectively shut down the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach," the PMA said in a statement.Instead, the ILWU said the slowdown was due to thousands of union workers attending a monthly membership
Seattle Dispute Disrupts US West Coast Port Labor Talks
A work assignment dispute in Seattle is interrupting labor talks covering 29 U.S. West Coast ports and 22,000 employees that handle almost 40% of U.S. imports, the union representing dockworkers said on Tuesday.International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) employer group have been negotiating a new contract since July 1. The ILWU's announcement on Tuesday comes after the two sides have traded jabs in the media about automation, another contentious issue at the negotiating table.The ILWU alleged that PMA member SSA Marine - operator of the largest
US Women Dockworkers Accuse Shippers, Union of Discrimination
losing seniority and suffered a miscarriage, according to her complaint. The dockworkers made the allegations with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents major shippers and terminal operators, as well as the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), one of the women's lawyers said. Gillian Thomas, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer representing the women, said the claims could ultimately involve hundreds of women. Legal claims involving gender and pregnancy discrimination are not uncommon but
