B.C. port employers issue lockout notice in contract dispute with foremen union

PortsinBritish Columbia are waking up to the possibility of another provincewidelabourdisruption asemployerssay they will lock out members of theunionrepresenting more than 700foremenafter it served a strikenotice.

The B.C. MaritimeEmployersAssociation (BCMEA) saidit has issued a formalnoticethat it will "defensively" lock out members of the International Longshore and WarehouseUnion (ILWU) Local 514 starting Monday at 9 a.m. PT.

Thelockout, which would shut down all cargo operations among association members acrossB.C., is meant to "facilitate a safe and orderly wind-down of operations"inlight of "escalating and unpredictable strike action," a statement from the BCMEA said.

Employers said theunionissued a 72-hour strikenoticethat job action would begin at 8 a.m. PT Monday, after three days of mediated talks this week yielded no agreementinthedisputethat has been ongoing since the last contract expiredinMarch 2023.

But Local 514 president Frank Morena said workers had only planned to "engageinlimited job action" through an overtime ban and a refusal to implement tech change, and it was theemployerswho "completely overreacted" by threatening a "full-scalelockout."

Morena said workers are now "extremely angry" due to what they described as theemployers' refusal to bargain on major issues such as manning requirementsinthe face of moreportautomation, adding that thelockoutis an "attempt to force the federal government to interveneinthedispute."

"Our members have repeatedly tried since our contract expired on March 31, 2023, to bargain a new contract without any job action but the BCMEAemployershave refused to move and now want to create a crisis instead of negotiating," Morena saidinaunionrelease.

Theunionis also accusing theemployersof not showing upfor negotiations on Thursday, the last scheduled day of mediated talks this week, while also failing to notify others that they would not be participating.

"The BCMEA and its members clearly don't want to reach an agreement even when federal mediators and theunionare standing by to continue talks what kind of employer takes their ball and goes home when everybody else is on the field?" Morena said.

Theemployersassociation said its final offer to theunionremains open for workers to accept unless it is withdrawn.

"We did not arrive tothis decision lightly," theBCMEAsaid inits statement announcing thelockout. "This regretful action follows thorough consideration of ILWU Local 514's continued intransigence and their provocative decision to proceedwithanother strikenotice."

The association is prepared to rescind thelockoutnoticeif theunionwithdraws its strikenotice, the statement added.

Latest port disruption

There have been a number of recent disruptions at thePortof Vancouver, Canada's largest, due tolabourunrest.

It includes a days-long picketing effort at several grain terminalsinSeptember, a work stoppage involving both major Canadian railwaysinAugust, and a 13-dayportworker strike last year that froze billionsintrade at the docks.

The currentdisputebetween theforemenand theiremployerscentre around one employer, DP World.Theunionsays it tried to negotiate directlywiththe company but was overruled by the Canada Industrial Relations Board that it cannot bargainwitha single employer.

TheunionsaidinSeptember that members voted 96 per centinfavour of taking strike action againstemployersif necessary.

Meanwhile, dockworkers at the Port of Montrealwalked off the jobThursday morning,forcing the indefinite shutdown of two container terminals at the country's second-biggest port. The walkout follows a three-day strike at the same two container terminals earlier this month over scheduling.