Port of Montreal lockout underway after dockworkers overwhelmingly vote to reject employer offer
Sidhartha Banerjee | The Canadian Press | Posted: November 10, 2024 6:12 PM | Last Updated: November 11
Maritime Employers Association calls on federal labour minister to intervene
The union representing some 1,200 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal has overwhelmingly rejected a deal with their employers' association, and a lockout at the facility is underway.
A spokesperson for the Canadian Union of Public Employees says members voted 99.7 per cent to reject the latest offer from the Maritime Employers Association (MEA).
The MEA issued the dockworkers' union what it called its final offer on Thursday, threatening to lock out workers at 9 p.m. Sunday if a deal wasn't reached.
Only essential services and activities unrelated to dockworkers would continue at the port after the deadline, the MEA had said.
The Port of Montreal, which is Canada's second-biggest port and moves nearly $400 million in goods every day, said three terminals would remain operational in the event of a lockout: the Bickerdike terminal, liquid bulk terminals and the grain terminal.
MEA calls on labour minister to intervene
"The Maritime Employers Association condemns the negative result of the vote held by the Montreal Longshoremen's Union on the final offer submitted Thursday and has no choice but to declare a lockout this evening at 9 p.m.," the MEA said in a statement.
"The MEA reiterates its request to the Minister of Labour, Steven MacKinnon, to intervene to resolve the impasse as quickly as possible. "
"The MEA reiterates its request to the Minister of Labour, Steven MacKinnon, to intervene to resolve the impasse as quickly as possible. "
"If the MEA had respected the collective bargaining process, we would have found solutions and avoided a conflict at the Port of Montreal," said CUPE consultant Michel Murray in a news release.
He said "nothing in the offer" reflects the union's demands.
In an email, a spokesperson for the MEA noted the "unique benefits" enjoyed by its dockworkers, including a "very generous pension plan" as well as a wage guarantee program.
The Montreal lockout means workers at both of the country's largest ports will be locked out, with workers in British Columbia locked out since Monday in an ongoing contract dispute at the Port of Vancouver, the largest port in Canada.
WATCH | Dockworkers locked out at Montreal port:
Employer tabled 'final' offer Thursday evening
The employer tabled on Thursday evening what it described as a "final, comprehensive offer," and called on the union to reply by 8 p.m. Sunday whether it will accept the six-year pact. The offer came with a 72-hour lockout notice.
The MEA said last week its new offer includes a three per cent salary increase each year for four years and a 3.5 per cent increase for the two subsequent years.
The increases would bring a longshore worker's total average compensation at the Port of Montreal to more than $200,000 per year at the end of the contract.
The association added that it is asking longshore workers to provide at least one hour's notice when they will be absent from a shift — instead of one minute — to help reduce management issues "which have a major effect on daily operations."
On Friday, a Syndicat des débardeurs du port de Montréal official said the new offer contained just "cosmetic changes" and doesn't address issues about scheduling, a major flashpoint in talks.
WATCH | What the ongoing B.C. port lockout means for businesses, Canadians:
The union had said it had no issue submitting the latest offer to a vote, but added it was unlikely to be supported as members have already rejected two similar offers by secret ballot.
The union has said it will accept the same increases that were granted to its counterparts in Halifax or Vancouver — 20 per cent over four years. It is also concerned with scheduling and work-life balance.
On Friday morning, the union and employers association spent two hours with a federal mediator without making any progress.
Workers have been without a collective agreement since Dec. 31, 2023.