The port strike in Montreal ends, but tensions about the protracted strike

The port strike in Montreal ends, but tensions about the protracted strike in the United States remain.
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A three-day strike at two terminals by the union representing Montreal dockworkers has concluded as planned, but more work stoppages and congested supply chains could occur in the coming weeks.

The work stoppage at the Viau and Maisonneuve terminals, which handle more than 40% of the nation's second-largest port's container business, ended at 7 a.m. ET, according to the Maritime Employers Association.

The union asserts that the employers turned rejected a sit-down that federal mediators arranged for Thursday, and the two parties have not met at all this week.


"What is the boss doing? It criticizes the impact of a partial strike on the supply chain and the economy, but it won't even bother to sit down to negotiate answers. It's astounding," stated Michel Murray, a union local representative connected to the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
The employers' association, which advocates for terminal operators and shipping businesses, stated that there was actually no planned meeting and that their goal is still to reach a collective agreement through negotiations.

Regarding whether meetings were cancelled or scheduled, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service did not respond to inquiries.

Spokesman Samuelle Carbonneau sent an email stating, "At this point, we can confirm the mediators remain in contact with the parties and are continuing work to assist them in their negotiations."


"It is evident that the current mediation process is not yielding desired outcomes," employer representative Isabelle Pelletier stated in a statement on Wednesday. According to her, the union did not react to employers' contract offers for two months throughout the summer.
In order to find a long-term solution that takes the circumstances into account, we are now weighing all of our possibilities."

Half of the country's ocean shipping has been halted by dockworkers on the US East Coast strike.
More expensive pineapples? This is how your money can be affected by the US port strike.
One day before to tens of thousands of dockworkers walking off the job at three dozen US ports, which stopped around half of the nation's ocean commerce, a quarter of the port's 1,200 loaders and checkers began a three-day work stoppage on Monday.

While some Canadian exports to the United States make their way toward American ports in order to be exported overseas, many goods that end up on Canadian warehouse floors and retail shelves arrived via U.S. ports.
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Manufacturers and food wholesalers in Canada fear that a protracted strike in the United States will strand shipments of everything from auto parts to apples and create weeks-long backlogs.

An Ontario-based food importer called Fresh Taste Produce is waiting on a shipment of South African oranges that are currently lingering on a dock at the Port of New York and New Jersey.
"I'm not sure, but we should be good for a week," the company's import coordinator, Lyda Gonzalez, stated.

It also imports kiwis from Italy and apples from Chile, which come via Montreal in pallets. Fresh Taste Produce, like many other businesses, planned for additional inventory in advance of the partial strike, but they are concerned that additional job action might lead to spoilage of goods.

Just-in-time inventory techniques are used by manufacturing organizations, which often work under strict deadlines.

Another problem during supply chain disruptions is the absence of viable delivery options.

The CEO of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters industry association, Dennis Darby, stated that "you really can't move iron ore or bauxite any other way."


The transportation, Machinery, mechanical appliances and transportation equipment formed more than 39 per cent of U.S. exports to Canada in 2021, according to the U.S. Office of Technology Evaluation.

Meanwhile, $50 million worth of manufactured items or components are exported out of the nation every day through the Port of Montreal, according to Darby, who also mentioned the possibility of backups in the event of a second strike.

To leave their employment, dockworkers must give a 72-hour notice, according to the dockworkers union. The members' September 25 ratification of the strike mandate is still in effect for 60 days.





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