B.C. port strike: Union caucus to meet Friday, weigh sending deal to members for vote

There is yet another sign that the labour dispute which has snarled port traffic in British Columbia could finally be drawing to a close.

The International Longshore & Warehouse Union’s contract caucus is set to meet again on Friday to hold a second vote on whether a tentative agreement with their employer will be sent to members for a ratification vote.

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The update came in a bulletin to members of ILWU Local 502 posted to its website by local president Rick Hurtubise on Thursday.

“On behalf of the officers of Local 502, we would like to inform you that as of Wednesday, July 19, 2023, your bargaining committee has reached a tentative agreement with the BCMEA (B.C. Maritime Employers Association),” the bulletin states.

“If the contract caucus votes in favour of sending the tentative agreement to the membership, then local 502 will be calling a meeting to present the package to the membership.”

It was not immediately clear if or how the deal proposed for a Friday caucus vote differs from an agreement reached with with the help of a mediator last week. 

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The latest development comes after a dizzying week in which the strike appeared to be over, then back on, then over again.

Last week, the BCMEA and ILWU appeared to have reached settlement after a deal was proposed by a federal mediator, temporarily halting strike action.

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But the contract caucus rejected the deal on Tuesday, without presenting it to members for a full vote, and by Wednesday workers were back on the picket line.

The employer then filed a complaint with the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), which ruled the job action was unlawful without proper notice, and federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan publicly called the action “illegal.”

The union subsequently issued a new 72-hour strike notice later on Wednesday — before rescinding it hours later without explanation.

That action came as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened the Incident Response Group — which is typically gathered at times of “national crisis” — to discuss the labour disruptions at B.C.’s ports, including potential options to address economic impacts and even ending the strike.

The BCMEA said the proposed four-year collective agreement included “considerable” wage and benefit hikes, including a compounded 19.2 per cent wage increase over that time.

But in a Tuesday statement after the contract caucus hinted the deal did not address the union’s key concerns about contracting out and job security.

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“The ILWU Canada Longshore Caucus does not believe the recommendations had the ability to protect our jobs now or into the future,” it said.

“Our position since day one has been to protect our jurisdiction and this position has not changed.”

The strike, which saw the union’s some 7,400 workers hit the picket lines for 13 days, costing the country an estimated $10 billion in lost trade according to the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade.

It was not immediately clear when a ratification vote could be scheduled if the contract caucus votes Friday to send the deal to members for approval.

—With files from Sean Boynton and Saba Aziz