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VANCOUVER, Nov. 25, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor members at the trucking company Port Transport have withdrawn their services and begun picketing and others could soon be behind picket lines if employers don't come to the bargaining table.
"Some employers are having trouble coping with the new reality of a Trucking Commissioner that makes all companies play by the rules," said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor's BC Area Director. "Operations at Port Metro Vancouver could easily be affected soon if companies don't start to take bargaining seriously."
50 Unifor members at Port Transport, operated by Bob Simpson, have been off the job since Monday. Offers have been made to all affected companies, but there has been little or no response from the employers' side, Unifor says.
"Truck drivers are eager to bargain and get a contract, but if the companies keep dragging their feet, service disruptions could snowball very quickly again, right at the start of the holiday season," McGarrigle added.
Unifor's members in the port trucking sector have been without a contract for 18 months and remain in a legal strike position at many other companies.
Container truckers shut down Port Metro Vancouver for nearly four weeks in March 2014 as a result of wage undercutting by trucking companies and long wait times at the Port. Truckers went back to work after a plan was signed with the truckers, the Port, the BC government, and the federal government.
Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing more than 310,000 workers. It was formed Labour Day weekend 2013 when the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers unions merged.
SOURCE Unifor
