MONTREAL — Dockworkers kicked off a three-day strike at the Port of Montreal on Monday, shutting down two terminals that handle more than 40 per cent of container traffic at Canada's second-largest port.
Some 350 longshore workers walked off the job at the Viau and Maisonneuve Termont terminals at 7 a.m., part of a limited strike by waterfront employees in contract talks with the Maritime Employers Association (MEA), which represents shipping companies.
The union local, affiliated with the Canadian Union of Public Employees, says the pressure tactic aims to lend weight to demands around regular scheduling and higher wages.
On Sunday, the Maritime Employers Association said it had tried "all possible means" of avoiding a strike, including in mediation and an emergency hearing before the Canada Industrial Relations Board that afternoon.
"The MEA had sincerely hoped to find common ground between the parties so that we could maintain operations. We are thus disappointed with this outcome," association spokeswoman Isabelle Pelletier said in a statement.
The strike is expected to last until Thursday morning.
Some two-dozen workers toted signs and drew horn honks from drivers passing by at a pair of entrances to the 26-kilometre-long port in southeast Montreal on Monday.
Backgrounded by grain silos, gantry cranes and stacks of red and yellow containers, the demonstrators took varied stances.
"It's time to negotiate," read one sign in French. Another said "no" to contract work, "yes" to full-time work.
Others took a more bellicose tone: "MEA, it's up to you to decide — respect or war."
Union spokesman Michel Murray told a news conference Friday it would be willing to hold off on job action if the employer addressed two issues. One concerns unpredictable shifts and the other the use of senior forepersons during operations that has been greatly reduced, he said.
The longshore workers' contract with the Maritime Employers Association expired on Dec. 31.
The partial strike in Montreal comes one day before U.S. ports from Maine to Texas could shut down if a union representing about 45,000 dockworkers carries through with a threatened strike.
A lengthy shutdown could raise prices on goods across the continent and potentially cause shortages at big and small retailers alike as the holiday shopping season — along with a tight U.S. presidential election — approaches.
— With files from The Associated Press
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2024.
Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press
