Montreal Longshoremen’s Union Rejects Final Offer; Lockout Underway
Montreal dockworkers' union rejects offer; lockout begins
The Montreal Longshoremen’s Union rejected a final offer made for a new labor contract, leading to a lockout being declared, the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) and the union said on Sunday, Reuters reported (11-11-24).
MEA said that its final offer provided for a 3% salary increase per year for four years and a 3.5% increase for the two subsequent years.
MEA said in a statement the lockout, which will impact nearly 1,200 port workers at the Canadian port that handled 8.7 million metric tons in Q3, was declared as of 9:00 PM ET.
The lockout will further slow Canadian imports and exports at a time the Port of Montreal was already operating at partial capacity and as West Coast ports are stopped due to a separate dispute.
The union representing longshoremen at the Port of Montreal said the offer was rejected by 99.7% of members because the employer refused to negotiate.
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