Canada Border Services Agency members will strike starting this Friday if no deal is reached, the union representing workers said on Monday.
A statement by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU), which represents more than 9,000 CBSA workers, advised that if an agreement is not reached with the CBSA and Treasury Board, the job action would begin at 12:01 a.m. ET on June 14.
“We are still hopeful we can avoid a strike and potential disruptions at Canada’s borders,” said Sharon DeSousa, PSAC national president. “No worker wants a strike, but we’ve set a firm deadline for this government to come to the table with a fair agreement.”
The notice of action comes after it paused its original plan to begin at 4 p.m. on June 7 to allow for negotiations to continue until June 12.
A strike by CBSA workers would potentially impact border crossings across the country.
Last week, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said the federal government was “very focused” on how the looming strike would impact the economy.
“It is something our government is very seized with. Very focused on. The parties are at the table working hard and our view is, the best deals are reached at the table,” Freeland told reporters when asked how a border strike could impact Canada’s economy.
CBSA workers have been without a contract since the last one expired in June 2022. The union has been pushing for higher wages and retirement benefits, including early retirement after 25 years of service, that they argue should be aligned with other Canadian law enforcement agencies, including the RCMP and Correctional Services Canada.
They also want clear remote work rules and assurances that vacancies won’t be filled with contracted workers.
“These aren’t unreasonable, pie-in-the-sky demands,” CIU national president Mark Weber told Global News in an interview Thursday.
The union noted in its statement that job action in 2021 “nearly brought commercial cross-border traffic to a standstill,” leading to a “marathon” 36-hour bargaining session to reach an agreement.
According to the union, the two sides remain in negotiations this week with assistance from a mediator. PSAC and CIU would not provide further comment.
Global News has reached out to the Treasury Board of Canada for comment but did not hear back by publication.
— with files from Global News’ Sean Boynton and Naomi Barghiel