VANCOUVER truckers have joined British Columbia dockers in threatening to shut down the port of Vancouver and Prince Rupert over separate issues.
Truckers object to independent operators emerging as employees of licensed corporate entities to evade rules restricting port access to employee drivers as well as undercutting on contracted freight rates, reports Newark's Journal of Commerce
Separately, contract talks between longshore foremen and employers at western Canadian ports are breaking down and the shipping community is bracing for a strike or lock-out as early as January. 2 that threatens to shut down the Port of Prince Rupert too, reports American Shipper.
Greg Vurdela, vice president of the British Columbia Maritime Employers' Association, after talks with 450 foremen of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), said progress had been made on key issues, but then reached an impasse.
"It's certainly looking very dim at this point," he said.
The foremen oversee the work of some 5,160 dockers who signed a contract earlier this year. The foremen have been without a contract since March, 2007. Wages are less an issue than pensions and proposals for "unfettered" use of technology and new work practices.
The ILWU has refused comment.
The Vancouver Container Truck Association/Canadian Auto Workers (VCTA-CAW), representing 750 harbour truckers, voted to hold a strike vote in January.
Policy changes require motor carriers to have employee drivers to obtain a licence to access Vancouver-area docks. Former independent owner-operators were grand fathered into the deal, and have mostly joined the union, which negotiated minimum wages, but rate-cutting by some who work for themselves, albeit in de jure companies, and some surviving independents, have put bone fide employee wage earners' incomes at risk, say unions.
VCTA-CAW local president Paul Johal, said that of 40 legal companies, 23 had been undercutting the set rates and considered penalties "just a cost of doing business".
Union contracts expire on December 31. Mr Johal said Vancouver was issuing too many licences to newly-minted companies, driving down the work available to higher-paid drivers.
Truckers object to independent operators emerging as employees of licensed corporate entities to evade rules restricting port access to employee drivers as well as undercutting on contracted freight rates, reports Newark's Journal of Commerce
Separately, contract talks between longshore foremen and employers at western Canadian ports are breaking down and the shipping community is bracing for a strike or lock-out as early as January. 2 that threatens to shut down the Port of Prince Rupert too, reports American Shipper.
Greg Vurdela, vice president of the British Columbia Maritime Employers' Association, after talks with 450 foremen of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), said progress had been made on key issues, but then reached an impasse.
"It's certainly looking very dim at this point," he said.
The foremen oversee the work of some 5,160 dockers who signed a contract earlier this year. The foremen have been without a contract since March, 2007. Wages are less an issue than pensions and proposals for "unfettered" use of technology and new work practices.
The ILWU has refused comment.
The Vancouver Container Truck Association/Canadian Auto Workers (VCTA-CAW), representing 750 harbour truckers, voted to hold a strike vote in January.
Policy changes require motor carriers to have employee drivers to obtain a licence to access Vancouver-area docks. Former independent owner-operators were grand fathered into the deal, and have mostly joined the union, which negotiated minimum wages, but rate-cutting by some who work for themselves, albeit in de jure companies, and some surviving independents, have put bone fide employee wage earners' incomes at risk, say unions.
VCTA-CAW local president Paul Johal, said that of 40 legal companies, 23 had been undercutting the set rates and considered penalties "just a cost of doing business".
Union contracts expire on December 31. Mr Johal said Vancouver was issuing too many licences to newly-minted companies, driving down the work available to higher-paid drivers.