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Thursday, November 21, 2024
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Labor News

08 Nov 2024

Montreal Port Employers Threaten Shutdown

Port of montreal (c) 4kclips / Adobestock

Port of Montreal terminal operators have threatened to shut down most operations as of Sunday after providing a "final, comprehensive offer" to the longshore union.If the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 375 does not accept the offer by Sunday at 8:00 p.m. "only essential services and activities unrelated to longshoring will continue at the Port of Montréal from 9 p.m. on Sunday," the Maritime Employers Association said in a statement on Thursday.So far, two terminals operated by Termont…

05 Nov 2024

Canada west coast ports shutdown enters second day

Port of Vancouver: CREDIT ADobestock haseg77

The British Columbia ports labor dispute continued on Tuesday, impacting exports at Canada's biggest port in Vancouver with no sign of negotiating progress.International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 foremen began limited strike actions on Monday at 8:00 a.m. Pacific time (16:00 GMT) and their employer, the B.C. Maritime Employers Association, locked out workers at 4:30 p.m.Industries and provincial governments across Canada are alarmed by the dispute, which is occurring at the same time as a partial strike is blocking 40 percent of container traffic of the Port of Montreal…

04 Nov 2024

Vancouver Port Employers to Lock out Workers

Port of Vancouver CREDIT Adobestock Sinidex

The BC Maritime Employers Association said it would lock out workers on Monday at Canada's Port of Vancouver after a negotiating deadline passed, potentially disrupting exports of coal, potash and beef.The association, which includes private-sector waterfront employers, said it would lock out foremen and other members of International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 at the country's largest port starting at 4:30 Pacific time (0030 GMT). A 13-day strike last year disrupted…

30 Oct 2024

US Shippers Avoid East Coast Ports on Risk of Second Strike

U.S. shippers are steering clear of East and Gulf Coast ports amid worries the 45,000 dockworkers at those trade hubs will go on strike again if their union leader does not land a new contract with employers by a Jan. 15 deadline.The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) labor union and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) employer group had ended a three-day strike in October with a tentative agreement on wages, but left the thorny issue of port automation still to be resolved."Anything we expect that we need in the back half of January…

04 Oct 2024

U.S. Port Strike Settled— What happens next?

© ke / Adobe Stock

The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) announced in an historic development for U.S. maritime industry that they had reached a tentative agreement which officially ends the longshoremen strike that had significantly disrupted East and Gulf Coast ports. After weeks of negotiation, the ILA secured a 62% wage increase over six years for its 47,000 members over this resolution; ending labor unrest that had brought critical U.S.

02 Oct 2024

US Dockworker Strike: Talks at a Standstill

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A strike by 45,000 dockworkers halting shipments at U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast ports entered its second day on Wednesday with no negotiations currently scheduled between the two sides, sources told Reuters.The lack of progress is raising concerns among those reliant on shipments that the disruption could be prolonged.The International Longshoremen's Association union strike has blocked goods from food to automobile shipments across dozens of ports from Maine to Texas, which…

02 Oct 2024

White House Sides with Union as US Dockworker Strike Enters Second Day

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President Joe Biden’s administration heaped pressure on U.S. port employers to raise their offer to secure a labor deal with dockworkers on strike for a second day on Wednesday, choking half the country’s ocean shipping.The strike by the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) union has blocked goods from food to automobile shipments across dozens of ports from Maine to Texas, a disruption that analysts warn will cost the economy billions of dollars a day.More than 38 container vessels were already backed up at U.S.

01 Oct 2024

East Coast Dockworkers Strike Halts Half of US Ocean Shipping

© Daniel L Grantham Jr / Adobe Stock

Dockworkers on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast began a strike early on Tuesday, their first large-scale stoppage in nearly 50 years, halting the flow of about half the nation's ocean shipping after negotiations for a new labor contract broke down over wages.The strike blocks everything from food to automobile shipments across dozens of ports from Maine to Texas, in a disruption analysts warned will cost the economy billions of dollars a day, threaten jobs, and potentially stoke inflation.The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) union representing 45…

15 Aug 2024

Potential US Seaport Strike May Cause Months-long Shipping Delays

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A potential strike at U.S. seaports on the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico could back up cargo there for weeks or even months, shipping experts said on Wednesday.Retailers like Walmart and other importers have been rushing goods in ahead of the Sept. 30 expiration of the union contract covering some 45,000 dockworkers at three dozen seaports from Texas to Maine.Their goal? To land cargo in the U.S. before Oct. 1, when the International Longshoremen's Association representing those workers has vowed to strike if a new contract is not in place.Analysts at Sea-Intelligence…

01 May 2024

Crowley Reaches Labor Deal for Isla Grande Terminal in Puerto Rico

(Photo: Crowley)

Crowley and Teamsters Union Local 901 have reached a new labor agreement to extend their longtime partnership into its sixth decade serving the shipping and logistics needs of Puerto Rico.The agreement, recently ratified by union members, covers the 200 employees who work at Crowley’s Isla Grande Terminal in San Juan until 2029. Employees there serve as port equipment operators, truck drivers and support operations in various other roles important to safe and reliable operations.“We have successfully worked with the Teamsters Union to provide safe…

07 Aug 2023

Western Canada Dock Workers Vote to Accept Contract Offer

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Dock workers in western Canada voted to accept an improved labor contract after a month-long dispute that affected trade and disrupted operations at the country's busiest ports, their union said on Friday.The vote was 74.66% in favor of the terms of the settlement, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) said in a statement.Disagreements in contract negotiations have disrupted billions of dollars in trade, raising concerns about fueling inflation.The union provisionally agreed to a new contract on Sunday…

15 Jun 2023

Tentative US West Coast Port Contract Deal Reached

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The Longshore union and employers of 22,000 dockworkers at U.S. West Coast ports on Wednesday said they have reached a tentative deal on a new six-year contract, ending 13 months of talks and easing supply chain worries.The deal was reached with assistance from Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) employer group said in a joint statement.President Joe Biden, who dispatched Su to the negotiations in San Francisco earlier this week…

11 Jun 2023

Cargo Operations Halt at the Port of Seattle Amid Labor Dispute

© mandritoiu / Adobe Stock

PMA says US West Coast port workers shut down Port of Seattle; workers' union denies claimThe Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents terminal operators, said in a tweet on Saturday that coordinated and disruptive work actions led by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) have shut down cargo operations at the Port of Seattle."On the first shift today, the ILWU refused to dispatch any longshore workers to container terminals, the PMA said, resulting in the shutdown of the port.The ILWU…

09 Jun 2023

Business Group Urges Biden to Intervene in West Coast Ports Labor Dispute

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The largest U.S. business group on Friday urged President Joe Biden him to intervene immediately and appoint an independent mediator to address a West Coast ports labor dispute.More than 22,000 dockworkers at ports from California to Washington state have been working without a contract since July. U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Suzanne Clark in a letter to Biden cited "continued and potentially expanded service disruptions at these ports heading into peak shipping season."Tensions…