British Columbia - CBC News reports the foreman's union at British Columbia ports has provided a strike notice of 72 hours, meaning that the majority of port terminals in British Columbia will cease operations on Monday morning, 4 Nov 2024.
 
The BC Maritime Employer's Association (BCMEA) said of the most recent contract offer that "The final offer provides a fair agreement without requiring concessions from ILWU Local 514 and covers all matters remaining in dispute."
 
After the union rejected that offer, the strike notice was announced.
 
In response, the BCMEA announced an employee lockout on Monday morning at 08:00.
 
This move angered the union and the ILWU's Frank Morena said "ILWU Local 514 members are extremely angry that not only has the BCMEA continuously refused to bargain on the major issues, including manning, but are now threatening to close the entire waterfront with a full-scale lockout in their attempt to force the federal government to intervene in the dispute."
 
The BCMEA said that it issued the lockout to ensure efficient shutdown of the ports.
 
This strike action will have significant impact on Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National, forcing a significant reduction in container traffic on both roads.
 
David van Hemmen, vice president of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, said his organization is "calling for immediate action by the federal government to intervene," before the strike/lockout can begin on Monday.
 
"We are extremely concerned that this strike could cascade quickly to shutting down the entire West Coast port system," van Hemmen said.
 
Montreal - CBC News reports that the Montreal terminals of Viau and Maisonneuve have been closed and that the two terminals account for 40 percent of the Port of Montreal's capacity for container throughput.
 
One of key union concerns centers around scheduling problems at the terminals.
 
The Maritime Employers Association issued a press release that said, "The schedules used on the different docks called into question by the union in recent days are enshrined in the collective agreement in force and cannot be used as a bargaining chip for a strike targeting a single operator, as is the case today."
 
The Port of Montreal terminals impacted by the strike are operated by a company called Termont.
 
Julie Gascon, CEO of the Port of Montreal, expressed concern about the economic impact of the strike.
 
She said, "This new work stoppage at the Viau and Maisonneuve terminals, at the very hub of our supply chain, can only have a deeply negative impact on thousands of local businesses, as well as on the economy of Quebec and Canada as a whole. This shutdown affects half of our international container terminals and heightens a climate of uncertainty that undermines the reliability and image of our logistics sector, key elements in the confidence that businesses place in the greater Montreal ecosystem."
 
David C. Lester.