Unifor National Council 4000 / Local 4001 hold a Special Membership Meeting March 9 on upcoming plans during Port Metro Vancouver strikes or demonstrations
March 10, 2014
Unifor National Council 4000 / Local 4001 held a special membership meeting with the 185 members at CNTL on Sunday evening, March 9, 2014. The meeting was to discuss our concerns of the strikes and demonstrations planned by the Unifor-VCTA membership and the non-union truck drivers from the United Truckers Association (UTA) set for Monday morning, March 11. We also provided members with an update as to the discussions with the provincial government and Arbitrator Vince Ready last week.
The dispute with Port Metro Vancouver is based on non-union drivers and members of Unifor-VCTA concerned about long lineups and wait times at Port Metro Vancouver's facilities. These waits cost driver’s a significant loss of income and creates longer work days to make up for the lost income by waiting.
Unifor-VCTA is demanding increased pay rates that would be standardized and enforced across the trucking sector that would put an end to under-cutting. The average rate of pay for truckers moving containers to or from Port Metro Vancouver is $15.59 an hour, whereas the average rate of pay in the B.C. trucking industry is $23 an hour.
Unifor-VCTA’s collective agreement expired in June 2012, meaning they have been in a legal position to take a strike vote for some time. They took a vote last week whereas the membership voted unanimously in favour of strike action. They issued the required 72-hours’ notice on March 3rd, meaning they were in a legal strike position on March 6.
Perhaps this finally prompted the provincial government to appoint Arbitrator Vince Ready, who mediated a similar dispute back in 2005. Unifor and the BC Federation of Labour lobbied for Mr. Ready based on his previous experience the last time. He is also a respected labour arbitrator in B.C.
But the government only appointed Mr. Ready to perform a detailed review of the Port Metro Vancouver trucking industry and provide recommendations to the provincial and federal governments by May 30, 2014. But Unifor and its membership within the VCTA is frustrated that Mr. Ready’s recommendations would not necessarily be final or binding.
This prompted the Unifor-VCTA membership to take a vote yesterday on whether to keep working during the period Mr. Ready has to complete his review. However, the membership voted to not work. In the alternative, picket lines and demonstrations will commence Monday morning at the various entrances to port facilities and employers' offices in the Metro Vancouver area.
Despite the fact that our CNTL membership have a current collective agreement that expires at the end of 2014, members are very concerned by CNTL forcing members to cross picket lines. Furthermore, the ongoing threats and potential damage to their trucks is also a major concern.
As Unifor Council 4000 Regional Representative Wesley Gajda and President Barry Kennedy said in communiques to our membership last week, Council 4000, which represents 4,500 Unifor members across all 10 Canadian provinces including 800 CNTL Owner Operators, supports the Unifor-VCTA membership and will respect any picket lines at any of the ports. These concerns have been expressed to senior officials at CN and CNTL during conference calls held on Saturday and Sunday, March 8 and 9.
We made it very clear to CN and CNTL that our membership have every reason to be concerned as to the subsequent ramifications that may occur if CNTL crosses picket lines or demonstrations at the ports. Moreover, as a Union, we do not expect CN or CNTL to subject our members to intimidation, threats, violence or damage to members trucks and asked that CN cease and desist in dispatching our CNTL members to perform port work.
If any member is dispatched to any of the ports, politely inform dispatch that you understand our obligations, but that we fully support the legal strike action by the Unifor-VCTA membership and that given the current circumstances, it would be “unsafe” for you to cross picket lines.
As we expect that this may cause CNTL to threaten layoffs, we will be working with CNTL starting Monday to make alternative arrangements that would keep our CNTL Vancouver membership gainfully employed. This could be to perform more city work within the Lower Mainland (and send home any outside cartage that may also be engaged in this work), perhaps handle more highway work, or permit members to protect the shortages of drivers in Calgary and Edmonton during the duration of the strike.
If any CNTL members are disciplined or terminated for refusing a dispatch to the port, members need to inform their Shop Stewards/Local Chairpersons immediately so that we may submit grievances. Also, please inform the Union of the names of those Company officers that are forcing you to accept dispatch to the ports.
Please keep checking back to our Updates page at: http://www.unifor4000.com/14mar01014cntl-metro-vancouver-ports.html, for information as it becomes available.
The dispute with Port Metro Vancouver is based on non-union drivers and members of Unifor-VCTA concerned about long lineups and wait times at Port Metro Vancouver's facilities. These waits cost driver’s a significant loss of income and creates longer work days to make up for the lost income by waiting.
Unifor-VCTA is demanding increased pay rates that would be standardized and enforced across the trucking sector that would put an end to under-cutting. The average rate of pay for truckers moving containers to or from Port Metro Vancouver is $15.59 an hour, whereas the average rate of pay in the B.C. trucking industry is $23 an hour.
Unifor-VCTA’s collective agreement expired in June 2012, meaning they have been in a legal position to take a strike vote for some time. They took a vote last week whereas the membership voted unanimously in favour of strike action. They issued the required 72-hours’ notice on March 3rd, meaning they were in a legal strike position on March 6.
Perhaps this finally prompted the provincial government to appoint Arbitrator Vince Ready, who mediated a similar dispute back in 2005. Unifor and the BC Federation of Labour lobbied for Mr. Ready based on his previous experience the last time. He is also a respected labour arbitrator in B.C.
But the government only appointed Mr. Ready to perform a detailed review of the Port Metro Vancouver trucking industry and provide recommendations to the provincial and federal governments by May 30, 2014. But Unifor and its membership within the VCTA is frustrated that Mr. Ready’s recommendations would not necessarily be final or binding.
This prompted the Unifor-VCTA membership to take a vote yesterday on whether to keep working during the period Mr. Ready has to complete his review. However, the membership voted to not work. In the alternative, picket lines and demonstrations will commence Monday morning at the various entrances to port facilities and employers' offices in the Metro Vancouver area.
Despite the fact that our CNTL membership have a current collective agreement that expires at the end of 2014, members are very concerned by CNTL forcing members to cross picket lines. Furthermore, the ongoing threats and potential damage to their trucks is also a major concern.
As Unifor Council 4000 Regional Representative Wesley Gajda and President Barry Kennedy said in communiques to our membership last week, Council 4000, which represents 4,500 Unifor members across all 10 Canadian provinces including 800 CNTL Owner Operators, supports the Unifor-VCTA membership and will respect any picket lines at any of the ports. These concerns have been expressed to senior officials at CN and CNTL during conference calls held on Saturday and Sunday, March 8 and 9.
We made it very clear to CN and CNTL that our membership have every reason to be concerned as to the subsequent ramifications that may occur if CNTL crosses picket lines or demonstrations at the ports. Moreover, as a Union, we do not expect CN or CNTL to subject our members to intimidation, threats, violence or damage to members trucks and asked that CN cease and desist in dispatching our CNTL members to perform port work.
If any member is dispatched to any of the ports, politely inform dispatch that you understand our obligations, but that we fully support the legal strike action by the Unifor-VCTA membership and that given the current circumstances, it would be “unsafe” for you to cross picket lines.
As we expect that this may cause CNTL to threaten layoffs, we will be working with CNTL starting Monday to make alternative arrangements that would keep our CNTL Vancouver membership gainfully employed. This could be to perform more city work within the Lower Mainland (and send home any outside cartage that may also be engaged in this work), perhaps handle more highway work, or permit members to protect the shortages of drivers in Calgary and Edmonton during the duration of the strike.
If any CNTL members are disciplined or terminated for refusing a dispatch to the port, members need to inform their Shop Stewards/Local Chairpersons immediately so that we may submit grievances. Also, please inform the Union of the names of those Company officers that are forcing you to accept dispatch to the ports.
Please keep checking back to our Updates page at: http://www.unifor4000.com/14mar01014cntl-metro-vancouver-ports.html, for information as it becomes available.
