Canadian Border Agent Strike Looms

A work stoppage as early as Thursday, June 6th at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) could disrupt supply chains across North America, FreightWaves reported (5-31-24). The potential strike comes after recent release of a federal Public Interest Commission report, which set guidelines for a new collective agreement and gave workers the legal right to strike.

CBSA personnel are represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU). Workers have been without a contract for over two years, union officials said.

Customs and immigration agents with the CBSA are responsible for monitoring more than 100 land border crossing across Canada, as well as airports and marine ports. Along with customs and immigration officers, CBSA personnel includes intelligence officers, investigators, and nonuniformed staff.

Mike Burkhart, vice president for Canada at C.H. Robinson, told FreightWaves that the Canadian government considers most customs workers essential, “meaning they’re required to continue providing some services even during a strike. What we prepare for then is a potential work slowdown, with workers sticking to the clock and performing all duties to the fullest extent.”

The largest impact would be on truck freight moving into Canada, Burkhart added.

The last work action by CBSA personnel was in August 2021, when 9,000 CBSA personnel went on strike for almost two days, leaving trucks lined up border crossing across Canada for hours.