St. Lawrence Seaway strike ends

Photo: Picton Terminals

The St. Lawrence Seaway reopened today after mediated negotiations between the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) and the Unifor union produced a tentative agreement.

The 364 Unifor members who have been on strike since October 22 were set to go back to work at 7.00 a.m. this morning. The SLMC said that it had begun to implement its recovery and would start
passing ships progressively as of today.

By this afternoon, the Globe & Mail newspaper and other Canadian media were reporting that cargo is moving again on the Seaway, but noted it could take most of the week to clear the backlog of ships halted during the labor stoppage – and even longer for supply chains to normalize.

The tentative agreement covers Unifor members at Locals 4211, 4212 and 4323 in Ontario and Locals 4319 and 4320 in Quebec, who work in the supervisory and engineering group and the maintenance, operations, and clerical group.

Unifor says that details of the tentative agreement will first be shared with members and will be made public once an agreement is ratified. A vote will be scheduled in the coming days.

“We have in hand an agreement that’s fair for workers and secures a strong and stable future
for the Seaway,” said SLSMC president and CEO Terence Bowles. “We know that this strike has
not been easy for anyone, and value the patience and cooperation of our marine industry binational partners; carriers, shippers, ports, local communities and all those who depend on this
vital transportation corridor on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border”.

“For the first time in 55 years seaway workers took the very hard decision to go on strike. They did so to fight for a more respectful workplace and for an agreement that reflects today’s economic times,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “They have shown that the best deal is reached at the bargaining table, and I congratulate the negotiating committee on their outstanding work on behalf of their members.”

The bi-national Chamber of Marine Commerce is calling for a full and fast resumption of Seaway operations to get traffic moving and restore the significant economic activity that is made possible by Seaway infrastructure, which is also a critical conduit for cross border trade in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River region.

“We are pleased that this interruption in vital Seaway traffic has come to an end, and we can focus once more on meeting the needs of consumers around the world,” said the chamber’s president and CEO, Bruce Burrows. “The entire marine shipping industry will now get straight back to work to get things moving again as one of the most reliable, efficient, and sustainable modes for transporting commodities”.

COUNTING THE COST

The Chamber of Marine Commerce says that, overall, the strike, which took place during one of the busiest times of the year for the Seaway, is expected to have resulted in:

• The loss of up to $100 million per day in economic activity across Canada and the U.S.;
  Risking the continued employment of approximately 67,000 people directly or indirectly employed by activity through the Seaway in Canada and the U.S.
• Stalling the movement of key cargoes including grain that feeds the world, salt that ensures safety on roads during winter, iron ore for steelmaking and auto manufacture, and construction materials for housing and infrastructure.

“It is deplorable that a service as vital as the Seaway could be brought to a halt in this way – the Seaway stoppage was extremely harmful for supply chains, the economy, and our quality of life,” said Burrows. “It should now be clear to everyone how critical the Seaway is to the well-being of businesses and consumers.”