Agreement To Resume Full Operations At Port Metro Vancouver

The governments of Canadaand British Columbia and PortMetro Vancouver have reachedagreement with members of theUnited Truckers Associationand Unifor to end the 28-daywork disruption at Port MetroVancouver and resume fulloperations as of ThursdayMarch 27, 2014.The dispute between the truckersand the port largely focusedon issues related to pay, includingrates, unpaid time spent atthe port waiting for cargo, andallegations of undercuttingwithin the industry.The agreement was reached followingextensive discussionsbetween all parties, and the jointadoption of a refined jointaction plan to address truckersconcerns.Federal mediator Vince Readyhas been retained to meet withall parties including UTA andUnifor leaders, immediatelyupon the resumption of fulloperations to review, finalize,and act upon the plan within 90days.With the agreement, theGovernment of BritishColumbia is not proceedingwith pending legislation thatwould have ordered a coolingoff period in the Unifor jobaction. Port Metro Vancouveralso agreed in the plan not totake any further action againstdrivers who had participated inthe job action and will rescindany license suspensions introducedduring the strike. Theyalso agreed to create by June 15a whistle-blowing mechanism toreport safety issues or issues ofintimidation or harassment,which is something non-unionizeddrivers told the VancouverSun last week was rampant inthe business.The federal government willalso implement a 12 per-centhike in round-trip rates and a$25.13 minimum rate for hourlydrivers. Truckers will also gainfrom a new escalating feearrangement for wait times atthe port. At two-and-a-half hours another $25 willgo to the drivers, and every half-hourafter that they’ll receive $20.Unifor president Jerry Dias said, “Theoutcome is an outcome we’d been lookingfor all along. It’s not just a solutionfor the short term, it’s a solution for thelong term.”Peter Hall, an SFU geographer andUrban Studies Program associate professor,says, “While we need to wait for thefinal agreement, and also to see how rigorouslythe various audit and regulatorymechanisms are enforced, the trucker’sagreement is potentially quite far-reaching,and could perhaps even lead to areorganization of the industry.”“The rate and wage increases are significant.Mechanisms to share some of therisks of delay and the costs of efficiencyimprovements have been proposed, andtruckers now have a voice at the table. Atthe same time, one issue that has thepotential to undermine the stability ofthe industry, collectively bargained triprates, has been left for further review,”said Hall.Meanwhile Fleetwood-Port Kells MPNina Grewal congratulated all sides inthe BC truckers’ strike for their willingnessto work together and arrive at a satisfactorysolution to the labour dispute.“I am pleased that the BC truckers’ strikehas come to a relatively quick and peacefulconclusion,” declared MP Grewal.“The truckers had legitimate grievancesthat needed to be addressed. Yesterday’sagreement should go a long way towardsimproving work conditions for an importantsegment of our economy.”However, Dias blasted Ottawa and federalTransport Minister Lisa Raitt for nothelping.”They weren’t going to find the solution,”he said. “Their solution was take itor leave it. It’s very important the governmenthere today stood forward andtook a leadership role because if we werewaiting for the feds to find a solution theport would still be down tomorrow.”There were no details on how long thedeal would be for, with that to be hammeredout by Ready.The tentative deal addresses “all the contentiousissues,” said Dias.Raitt said in a news release the federalgovernment is “pleased that truckershave agreed to get back to work.””Our economic prosperity, competitivenessand ability for our products to reachnew markets depends on a well functioningport,” she said, adding that the governmentwould work with the provinceand the port to make sure “truckers getback to work and keep our economy ontrack.”Port Metro Vancouver issued a statementWednesday afternoon, before the dealwas announced, hailing the plan as thebest way to end the dispute.”There are financial wins in the plan fortruckers,” port CEO Robin Silvester saidin the statement. “It is in all of our bestinterests that truckers come out of thisdispute with their issues resolved becausedisruptions like this hurt each of us.”