Strike Notice 72 Hours Issued by B.C. Grain Workers

The union representing workers at six Vancouver grain terminals has issued a strike notice. This will take effect on Tuesday which is during the peak autumn period for handling commodities such as canola.

Local 333 of the Grain Workers Union (GWU) said it gave 72-hour strike notice on Saturday to the group of employers represented by the Vancouver Terminal Elevators’ Association (VTEA).

“The union’s bargaining committee came to the decision to issue strike notice after the VTEA invested very little effort in negotiations last week,” union leaders told members in a memorandum. “It is the VTEA’s move.”

What Does the Strike Notice Say?

September 21, 2024 | Circular No. 11706

Dear Member,

We have learned that the union representing west coast grain workers (Grain Workers Union Local 333) has served 72-hour strike notice to the grain terminal operators represented by the Vancouver Terminal Elevators Association (VTEA), with strike activity to commence at 7:00 am (Pacific) on Tuesday, September 24.

Impacted terminal operations include Viterra’s Cascadia and Pacific Terminals, Richardson International Terminal, Cargill Limited Terminal,  G3 Terminal Vancouver and Alliance Grain Terminal.  Grain Terminals that are NOT impacted include Fraser Grain Terminal and Prince Rupert Grain Ltd.

Although the union and the VTEA  concluded conciliation with the assistance of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service on August 26, they were not successful in reaching agreement on a new contract, and the union has been in a legal strike position as of September 17^th.

We will be closely monitoring this evolving situation and will provide members with additional information as warranted.

Sincerely,

Karen Kancens
Vice President

More on the Strike Notice…

The bargaining talks as of now have been broken off as stated by Wade Sobkowich. He is the executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association, which represents the large shippers of bulk grain exports from Western Canada.

“While the parties have made progress on direct wages, they remain far apart on the substantive benefit issues,” he said in a message sent on Saturday night to grain companies and industry stakeholders. “The VTEA has been trying to engage the GWU in substantive negotiations since November of 2023.”

The dispute affects about 650 unionized employees at the operations of Cargill Inc., Richardson International Ltd., Alliance Grain Terminal Ltd., Pacific Elevators Ltd., G3 Terminal, and Cascadia Terminal. Cascadia is known to be co-owned by Viterra Ltd. and Richardson International.

What is Local 333?

Local 333 is defined to be a chartered local of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU). In it workers handles grain such as canola, wheat, barley, oats and specialty crops.

More on Strike Notice…

The essential service designation for grain exports does not apply to rail operations. This was brought forward as evidenced by the brief railway shutdown that temporarily disrupted grain deliveries for several days in August.

The dispute between the Grain Workers Union and employers would have significant impact during the busy harvest season. This would be including for canola, which is a commodity that has been caught up in the trade battle between Canada and China.

Last month, the federal government announced a 100-per-cent surtax on imports of Chinese electric vehicles into Canada. This has been effective from Oct. 1 in which China retaliated earlier by starting an anti-dumping investigation into canola shipped from Canada.

“Grain handlers and exporters are working with Chinese importers to move as many canola vessels as possible into China, given the investigation and associated outcome,” Mr. Sobkowich said in a separate message.

Final Thoughts

The labour unrest at grain terminals comes as Local 514 of the ILWU. This represents about 730 ship and dock forepersons which awaits a ruling from the Canada Industrial Relations Board. In May, the BC Maritime Employers Association filed a complaint with the labour board. They alleged bad-faith bargaining on the part of the union..

The union said its members are concerned about semi-automation. This is at DP World Canada’s Centerm container terminal at the Port of Vancouver.

Unionized supervisors who cast ballots in August voted 96 per cent in favour of a strike mandate. This is based on a turnout of 76 per cent of eligible voters. So far, the local has not issued notice to go on strike notice. The BC Maritime Employers Association are also representing 49 private-sector companies. This includes the shipowners and terminal operators which has not issued notice of any lockout.