Following a 35-day contract dispute with the BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), the members of ILWU Canada have now accepted the new four-year port deal at British Colombia ports on Canada’s West Coast. The president of ILWU Canada Rob Ashton announced on August 4 that around 74.66% of dockworkers voted in favor of the new contract with BCMEA. Both the ILWU Canada and the BCMEA have ratified the deal, ending 5 months of negotiations and 5 weeks of terminal disruptions across the West Coast of Canada. The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) played a key role in resolving the labor dispute.
The CIRB has disclosed the new terms of the newly agreed deal between the ILWU and BCMEA. The new terms contain BCMEA’s commitment to train dockworkers on maintenance on new and existing port machinery, which had been one of the most disputed topics during the contract negotiations. The agreement also features several terms about workers’ compensation, including an above-average hike in the “Modernization and Mechanization Retirement Lump Sum,” increasing the fund to $96,250 in 2026 for eligible retired port workers. Also, the terms include general wage increases of 5% annually for the first two years until 2024 and 4% increases for the next two years until 2026. The latest hikes will boost port workers’ hourly wages from $50.64 in 2023 to $57.51 in 2026.
Currently, all west coast terminals are open and operational, including in Vancouver and Prince Rupert. Railway productivity continues to remain low; however, discussions are ongoing to boost the availability of railway operators at both critical West Coast ports.
Congestion trends
Congestion metrics for the combined West Coast ports continue to remain low. Combined average vessel counts and wait times for Gulf Coast ports have fallen over the past few weeks. East Coast ports continue to report the lowest average wait times and vessel counts.
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