8 November 1999

Lockout at Port of Vancouver

The following information is from "The Journal of Commerce" of 8 November 1999.

Container-handling at the Port of Vancouver was at a standstill Monday after maritime employers locked out members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.

Containerized cargo and other shipments are being diverted to the US ports of Seattle, Tacoma and Portland.

Only bulk grain and some coal shipments continue to move through the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert.

The lockout at all BC ports took effect on Sunday, 7 November at 4:30 PDT after contract talks finally broke down after more than a year of on-and-off bargaining.

Wages remain an issue, but the main stumbling block stems from the hiring last year of a non-union firm to sample the condition of sulfur cargo....