The union representing tugboat crews at Seaspan has voted 100% in favour of a strike in response to Seaspan’s announcement that it will impose changes to an expired collective agreement June 9.
A spokesperson for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 400 told Business in Vancouver that the next step is to sit down with labour minister Kellie Leitch later today.
“If there is no impetus from Seaspan to get back to talks, then [ILWU] will file 72 hours notice [of a strike], probably on Thursday,” he said.
This means the union could be on strike as early as Sunday.
The ILWU said the marine transportation company is attempting to “unilaterally impose” 46 changes to the collective agreement that expired in September 2013, which Seaspan said has been in place for four decades.
“ILWU Local 400 has not been on strike since it was formed in the 1950s but there is no way our 350 members can allow Seaspan to impose a ridiculous contract on us that it wrote itself,” said Terry Engler, ILWU Local 400 president at Seaspan, who also said the threat is unprecendented.
“That’s not collective bargaining – that’s dictation and the ILWU won’t be taking dictation from Seaspan.”
Engler described Seaspan’s latest tactic as a “U.S.-style labour relations approach.”
The union representing tugboat captains and engineers, the Western Branch of the Canadian Merchant Service Guild, will also take a strike vote, which the guild’s president, Captain Mike Armstrong, said will take place June 4.
Seaspan has responded by saying the changes are necessary in order to remain competitive and ensure the company’s future viability, and stresses that the company is not violating labour law and the move does not constitute a lockout.
“This move is necessary for the overall sustainability of Seaspan’s operations moving forward,” said Seaspan CEO Jonathan Whitworth.
“Under its current collective agreements, which date back over 40 years to 1971, Seaspan is no longer cost-competitive.”
Seaspan said it participated in collective agreement negotiations with the guild and the ILWU in October 2013.
Whitworth said Seaspan met with both parties more than 60 times.
“On April 30, Seaspan filed an application to the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) declaring and denouncing illegal strike action by both the Guild and ILWU following a refusal of callouts that began on April 17, 2014,” Whitworth said.
“We implicitly trust the CIRB to address this Application in a judicious manner.”
Jim Sinclair, president of the BC Federation of Labour, said all unions need to stand up to Seaspan and fight these changes.
“It’s not just ILWU Local 400 and the Canadian Merchant Service Guild who are threatened when Seaspan bring in American tactics to B.C.; it’s every other union who could have the same outrageous concessions put on the table by their employers,” Sinclair said.
“This is a line that can not be crossed and ILWU Local 400 and the CMSG will have labour’s full support.”
