B.C. port strike: U.S. workers refusing to touch cargo rerouted from Canada

VANCOUVER –

Maritime employers says the impression of the B.C. port strike is spilling over internationally, as U.S. port staff refuse to deal with containers rerouted from Vancouver to Seattle.

The BC Maritime Employers Association says the transfer additional damages the “reliability and competitiveness of West Coast ports up and down” because the work stoppage drags on for a tenth day.

International Longshore and Warehouse Union International president Willie Adams instructed CNBC final week that members of the U.S. West Coast chapter of the union will not be unloading Canadian-bound cargo in solidarity with the placing staff in B.C.

Adams instructed a rally in Vancouver on Sunday that anybody who thought they might offload Canada-bound cargo at Tacoma, Seattle, Oakland or Los Angeles ought to know that it “ain’t happening.”

The staff and their employer held a spherical of bargaining over the weekend, the primary talks since negotiations collapsed one week in the past, however neither aspect is saying when, or if, extra talks are deliberate.

About 7,400 members of the ILWU Canada have been on strike since July 1, idling all cargo dealing with at about 30 ports, together with the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s busiest harbour.

Jurisdiction over upkeep, in addition to improved wages and language to stop contracting out and automation are key points within the dispute.

The employers affiliation mentioned in its assertion Monday that financial repercussions have been escalating.

“With approximately $19 billion of containerized cargo moving through ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert every month … the potential impact of ongoing strike action on transpacific cargo flows is immense.”

The employers affiliation mentioned in a earlier assertion, issued after the mediated talks on Saturday, that it made a proposal to deal with dock staff’ calls for to increase union jurisdiction over common upkeep work at terminals.

The union has not responded publicly to the affiliation’s proposal, however a union chief instructed the rally on Sunday that management over upkeep is a “line in the sand,” and though longshore staff cannot forestall automation, they, not contractors, ought to make repairs if robots break.

Adams mentioned Sunday that he was encouraging staff from all over the world to satisfy ships coming to their docks and present they’re united with Canadian strikers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed July 10, 2023.