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8/7/2023
International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) of Canada members have voted to ratify the second tentative agreement with West Coast port owners, which will bring an end to a strike by dockworkers that began July 1.
ILWU officials said 74.66% of members voted in favor of accepting the terms of the four-year tentative agreement. The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) ratified the agreement on July 31.
The pact was reached after five months of negotiations, conciliation and mediation, and five weeks of labor instability at British Columbia’s ports.
“The renewed collective agreement includes increases in wages, benefits and training that recognizes the skills and efforts of B.C.’s waterfront workforce, while providing certainty and stability for the future of Canada’s West Coast ports,” BCMEA officials said in a press release.
The BCMEA is “ready to work to restore stability to Canada’s supply chain,” which had been disrupted during the dockworkers’ strike, they added.
The Canada Industrial Relations Board brokered the agreement after union members rejected an originalproposal. The board directed the union to vote no later than Aug. 4.
The majority of ILWU Canada members work at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert. The Vancouver port is served by CN, Canadian Pacific Kansas City and BNSF Railway Co.; the Prince Rupert port is served exclusively by CN.