Marine

MONTREAL-Unifor members working for the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation are ready to strike as of midnight on Saturday, October 21, 2023, which would effectively shut down transit through the Seaway. This drastic decision follows the issuance of a 72-hour strike warning to the employer, underscoring the depth of dissatisfaction and the imperative for a swift resolution to the ongoing disputes.

VICTORIA—A Labour Day weekend strike has been averted after the bargaining committees of Unifor Local 114 and the Victoria Clipper ferry signed a tentative agreement.

“Congratulations to the bargaining committee and the members who mobilized quickly to get the word out on both sides of the border about their struggle for a fair contract,” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western Regional Director. 

Details of the agreement will be available upon ratification of the contract. A vote is scheduled for Wednesday, September 6, 2023.

VICTORIA—Unifor Local 114 members at the Victoria-Seattle ferry service have voted 100% in favour of taking legal strike action on Sunday, September 3 if a fair contract cannot be reached before then.

“Unless the employer shows up to the bargaining table with a fair offer, the Victoria Clipper will be anchored on one of the busiest tourism weekends of the year,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “Ferry workers deserve a fair contract and will take job action if negotiations continue to stall.”

VICTORIA—Members of Unifor Local 114 working at the Victoria Clipper say the pace of bargaining for their next contract suggests that the Victoria-Seattle ferry service could be disrupted before the end of the summer.

“The Clipper’s negotiators seem to be stuck in a pandemic concessionary mindset,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “Ferry ridership has rebounded from COVID-19. The company simply has no excuse to drag its feet on a fair contract for workers.”

VANCOUVER—Unifor calls on the BC Maritime Employers’ Association to bargain in good faith and negotiate a fair settlement with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.

“Unifor is very familiar with the underhanded tactics used by employers at the ports in Metro Vancouver,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “Unifor members, including hundreds of container truckers at the ports, stand united with ILWU in its strike for a fair contract.”

OTTAWA-On June 22, the bargaining committee for Canada Coast Guard Marine Communications and Traffic Service Officers at Local 2182 reached a tentative agreement with the Government of Canada that will see no concessions and a 10.75% wage increase over four years.

Members at Unifor MWF-Local 1 at Marine Fabricators in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, ratified a new collective agreement that mirrors wage increases won by their counterparts at the Irving Shipyard on the other side of the Halifax harbour, securing nearly 25% in wage increases over the term of the contract.