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October 13, 2024

U.S. Dockworker Strike On Hold, But Troubles Brewing In Canada

While dockworkers in the United States have agreed to go back to work until at least January 2025, labor disagreements at the Port of Montreal could slow North American supply chains.

That is because workers at that port filed notice on Oct. 7 saying they would stop working overtime for an “unlimited period” beginning Oct. 9. The overtime strike affects roughly 1,200 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). The overtime strike could mean delays in processing and a possible accumulation of containers on the ground awaiting handling.

As a result of the strike, the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) announced employees assigned to shifts with incomplete crews would not be paid.

Port of Montreal workers have been without a new collective bargaining agreement since Dec. 31, 2023. According to CUPE, the two sides still disagree on areas including how the MEA manages employees’ schedules. The MEA has formally asked the union to withdraw this strike notice, and reiterated that it was willing to continue negotiations.

The two sides remain in the mediation process, with support from federally appointed officials, but more than a year of talks have failed to result in a deal. The two sides last met on Oct. 4 in Montreal. “We’re willing to get down to intensive negotiations, but since the employer is dragging their feet, we’re turning up the pressure so that they put forth the energy needed to find a solution,” CUPE union representative Michel Murray said in a statement. Read more at this link.

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