Work has resumed at the Port of Montreal, Canada’s second
busiest port after a two-week strike by the Canadian Union of Public Employees
(CUPE) against their employer the Maritime Employers Association (MEA). The
strike had begun on August 10 after the union previously staged a four-day
strike and a 40-hour walkout in July attempting to call attention to its
working conditions and lack of a contract for the past 18-months.
The longshoremen’s union and its employer announced on
Friday, August 21 that they had reached a tentative agreement on a seven-month
truce ending the strike. The two sides said that they are confident that they
will be able to reach a negotiated agreement in principle by the end of the
truce on March 20, 2021. In the meantime, meetings were held over the weekend
to establish a return-to-work protocol and work has now resumed at the port.
Citing their lack of a contract since the beginning of 2019,
along with their grievances over wages, work schedules, and working conditions,
the 1,125 longshoremen, foreman, and maintenance worker members of the CUPE had
walked off the job two weeks ago. Key among their grievances was a request for
better work schedules. The union said that workers were currently expected to
be on call for 19 out of 21 days. The 150-member International Longshoremen
Association also served notice that it would be joining the strike.
During the strike it was estimated that as many as 20 ships
diverted to other ports including Halifax or New York, both slowing shipments
and adding costs. Some estimates reported that 90,000 or more containers were
being impacted along with 300,000 tons of bulk cargoes.
With an extensive backlog that built-up during the strike,
it is estimated that it will take between two and four weeks before shippers
have caught up and operations are back to normal.