Employers lock out longshore workers in Montreal after contract offer rejected

MONTREAL — The employers association at the Port of Montreal locked out nearly 1,200 longshore workers Sunday night, bringing a halt to traffic at the port.

The Maritime Employers Association is calling on federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to intervene in the dispute to resolve the impasse at Canada’s second-biggest port.

Julie Gascon, chief executive of the Montreal Port Authority, warned of the economic consequences of a prolonged conflict.

“This lockout affects not only the 1,200 longshoremen directly impacted by the work stoppage, but it also impacts over 10,000 workers in the logistics sector, from trucking and railway employees to maritime agents and pilots,” she said in a statement.

“Logistics jobs are the first to be affected, which inevitably sets off a domino effect throughout the entire economy in the markets we serve.”

The employers association in Montreal said it initiated the lock out at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday night after the unionized workers voted to reject a contract offer tabled last week.

A spokesman for the Canadian Union of Public Employees says members voted 99.7 per cent to reject the proposal.

The workers have been without a collective agreement since Dec. 31, 2023.

The union has said it will accept the same wage increases that were granted to its counterparts in Halifax or Vancouver — 20 per cent over four years. It is also concerned with scheduling and work-life balance.

The lock out in Montreal comes as the employers and the union representing supervisors are also embroiled in a labour dispute in B.C. where port workers are also locked out, resulting in a paralysis of container cargo traffic at terminals across Canada’s west coast.

Pascal Chan, senior director of transportation, infrastructure and construction at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said the combined work stoppages impact the flow of $1.2 billion worth of goods every day.

“We need to see leadership from government that puts Canadian workers and businesses first by putting an end to these disputes and getting goods flowing again as quickly as possible,” Chan said in statement.