July 6, 2024 – Despite the union issuing 72 hours strike notice, please be advised that the union is not allowed to strike and that the Industrial Relations Board has requested that the union rescind the strike notice, which it has done.
July 5, 2024 – The union representing Canada’s border workers says members have voted 91 percent in favour of a new collective agreement. More than 9,000 Canada Border Services Agency workers were planning job action in June but the strike was averted when a tentative agreement was reached with the federal government. The vote solidifies the new collective agreement, preventing a strike that could have brought commercial border traffic to a standstill and caused major delays across the country.
June 29, 2024 – There has not been much information on the potential rail strike. Here is the latest update from CPKC:
“We are still awaiting a decision from the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) regarding the Federal Minister of Labour’s referral on the maintenance of activities during a strike or lockout. We know our supply chain stakeholders want certainty regarding the expected timing of a CIRB decision and potential work stoppage; however, it remains unclear when the CIRB will issue a decision. Based on precedent, it is unlikely the parties will be in a position to initiate a legal strike or lockout before mid-July or later. In any event, a legal strike or lockout cannot occur unless a minimum of 72 hours’ notice is provided under the Canada Labour Code. CPKC has requested that the CIRB extend the cooling-off period for 30 days after the date on which the CIRB issues its decision. This would help provide stability and predictability regarding the timelines for a potential work stoppage and allow all stakeholders to plan for such an eventuality. CPKC’s offer to resolve the current labour dispute with the TCRC through binding interest arbitration in order to avoid a damaging and entirely unnecessary work stoppage remains on the table, as do CPKC’s two collective agreement proposals."
June 26, 2024 – In the past 2 months, freight rates have been rising for the transpacific east bound trade and many shippers have inquired to us as to whether or not this trend will continue. Certainly our clients have had some challenges securing space and equipment in the current period, as this is an industry wide issue due to the carrier’s attempts to limit tonnage and artificially increase the ocean freight rates but Canaan believes that we are seeing an early peak season with many shippers trying to avoid empty shelves in the 4th quarter or the risk of the rail or port strikes that we were advising against.
Our early prediction is that rates will continue to rise in July and will start to level off in August and a drop may happen as early as October 2024.
More news as it develops..
June 20, 2024 – The union representing more than 9,000 CN and CPKC workers has organized a second strike vote amid stalled contract negotiations with the railroads. “It is clear we cannot rely on a timely conclusion to these unfortunate circumstances and must protect our rights regardless of outcome,” the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) said in a news release. On May 1, CN and CPKC rail workers voted to authorize a strike that could have begun on May 22. Canadian Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan referred the rail worker dispute to the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) on May 13, indefinitely pausing any possible work stoppage until the CIRB issues a decision on the potential impacts a strike could have on the country’s safety.
TCRC’s second strike vote began Friday and will end on June 29, as the current strike mandate is set to expire on June 30. Canadian labour laws prohibit unions from declaring a strike unless its members have approved walking off the job in the previous 60 days.
June 11, 2024 – The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) union has released a statement announcing that a tentative agreement has been reached with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Treasury Board. Members of the trade community can breathe easy as the threat of job action at Canadian borders has been averted. Full details of the tentative agreement will be announced once the ratification kit is available for union members on Thursday, June 13.
June 10, 2024 – The union that represents 9,000 Canada Border Services Agency workers says they won’t strike until at least Wednesday, as mediation continues. The Public Service Alliance of Canada initially said border workers were set to strike as early as 4 p.m. Friday if they hadn’t reached a deal, but have decided to extend negotiations. The union says similar strike action three years ago nearly brought commercial border traffic to a standstill and caused major delays across the country. The government says 90 per cent of front-line border officers are designated as essential, which means they can’t stop working during a strike. But union members could work-to-rule, a tactic where employees do their jobs exactly as outlined in their contracts. Experts say that could still cause serious slowdowns, which could turn into massive disruptions given the volume of traffic that normally moves across the border.
June 4, 2024 – Employees of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) could go on strike as early as this Thursday (June 6) if ongoing efforts toward an agreement fail. The two parties will continue the mediation process until then. A strike will likely impact non-essential CBSA operations; however, it’s expected that general processing times for all import clearances into Canada will increase. Consequently, border congestion is a primary concern, affecting land crossings, airports, seaports, and rail entry equally. The threat of a strike by CBSA personnel means uncertainty and disruption for Canadian importers. Canaan Transport is actively monitoring the ongoing labor dispute.
May 31, 2024 – A potential strike looms at border crossings across the country for more than 9,000 workers at Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) following the release of the Public Interest Commission (PIC) report. The release of the report – outlining the Commission’s recommendations to reach a settlement – starts the clock on job action and puts workers in a legal strike position as of Thursday, June 6. CBSA personnel represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Customs and Immigration Union (PSAC-CIU) voted 96% in favour of taking strike action earlier this month. Job action by CBSA personnel in 2021 nearly brought commercial cross-border traffic to a standstill, causing major delays at airports and borders across the country and a marathon 36-hour bargaining session to reach an agreement.
May 21, 2024 – The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514, representing ship and dock foremen, has agreed to delay serving 72-hour strike notice on employer DP World Canada at Centerm in order to take part in federal mediation and is refuting claims made by the BC Maritime Employers Association about the dispute.