Local 514 Bargaining Update

Please be advised that ILWU Ship & Dock Foremen Local 514 (ILWU Local 1514) have provided formal, written 72-hour strike notice of intended strike action against DP World (Canada) Inc., commencing on July 8, 2024, at or about 04:30 pm PT.

ILWU Local 514 is regrettably moving forward with notice of strike action despite the Canada Industrial Relations Board’s (CIRB) commencing the hearing this week to address complaints between the BCMEA and ILWU Local 514. The hearing was scheduled to continue on August 6, 2024.

Since November 2022, the BCMEA and ILWU Local 514 have been negotiating on an industry-wide basis, an approach that is aligned with a long-standing practice for the BCMEA-ILWU bargaining process. Bargaining on an industry basis fosters stability and certainty. In targeting DP World (Canada) Inc., ILWU Local 514 is unfairly isolating a single terminal operator to create uncertainty and chaos, while many industry-wide issues remain unresolved in our shared collective bargaining process.

BCMEA members are proud to provide well-paying, family-supporting jobs. The BCMEA has advanced proposals in good faith to reach a balanced agreement that is beneficial for the 730 hardworking forepersons and for their families, while ensuring West Coast ports remain reliable, competitive and affordable for all Canadians.

The BCMEA has previously offered a 19.2% wage increase, which could have enhanced the median foreperson compensation from $246,323 to $293,617 annually, not including benefits and pension. The four-year proposal was in line with the negotiated 2023 longshore settlement and included:

– On average, eligible workers would have received a cumulative lump sum payment of approximately $15,000, inclusive of a signing bonus and retroactive pay increases.

– An increased retirement benefit of $108,750, an increase of 16%. This lump sum retirement benefit is over and above employees’ pension entitlements.

B.C.’s waterfront workforce continues to grow, with well-paying foreperson jobs increasing by 73% – 308 net new foreperson jobs – since 2010. 182 new forepersons have been recruited since 2020, with more recruitments underway and forecasted for the future.

The stability and certainty of Canada’s West Coast ports and the nation’s supply chain are critically important to the BCMEA, our members and all Canadians. While we are extremely disappointed by ILWU Local 514’s decision to provide strike notice, the BCMEA remains committed to reaching a settlement that delivers for our workers, their families, and all Canadians.

Last updated: July 5 2024, 8:20 PT