Union warns of further disruptions
Unifor members at Vancouver’s Port Transport have withdrawn their services.
Fifty employees began picketing the trucking company on Nov. 23. According to the union, offers have been made to all affected companies but there has been little to no response from the employers’ side.
Unifor members in the port trucking sector have been without a contract for 18 months. Employees at many other companies also remain in a legal strike position.
“Truck drivers are eager to bargain and get a contract, but if the companies keep dragging their feet, service disruptions could snowball very quickly,” said Unifor B.C. area director Gavin McGarrigle.
Container truckers shut down Port Metro Vancouver for nearly four weeks in March 2014 in protest of wage undercutting and long wait times. The employees returned to work after a plan was signed by the truckers, the Port and the provincial and federal governments.
“Some employers are having trouble coping with the new reality of a Trucking Commissioner that makes all companies play by the rules,” McGarrigle said.
“Operations at Port Metro Vancouver could easily be affected soon if companies don’t start to take bargaining seriously.”
