BC Dockworkers Union Rescinds 72-Hour Strike Notice

It has been a chaotic 24 hours in the ongoing standoff between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), who represents dockworkers at the Ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert, BC, and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA).

Last Thursday, both sides agreed to a federal mediator’s proposed agreement and work resumed. That was followed by a caucus of the ILWU rejecting the offer and declining to present the offer to the membership for a vote, with the union leadership saying the new contract was for too long (4 years) and failed to adequately protect the membership. Union members returned to the picket lines this Tuesday only to be told by the federal labor board that the strike was illegal because the union had not provided the necessary 72-hour strike notice.

According to reporting by CTV News Vancouver (7-19-23), the union revoked the 72-hour strike notice it issued Wednesday—just hours after it was issued—a move that could signal an end to a tumultuous labor dispute. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada said in a brief statement Wednesday that the revocation of notice is “effective immediately.”

The BCMEA said it is unclear what exactly this move means.