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From: Ian Bailey, Vancouver Sun
Category: Category 1
Date: 08 Nov 1999
Time: 13:39:03
Remote Name: 24.113.31.233
Despite Victoria's desire for a quick settlement, union members are preparing for a long lockout. Ian Bailey, Vancouver Sun Vancouver Sun
Ian Smith, Vancouver Sun / WALKING THE LINES: After the B.C. Maritime Employers Union issued a lockout notice to ILWU workers at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, the first pickets appeared at Pacific Coast Terminals in Port Moody.
A shutdown of Vancouver's port -- normally one of North America's busiest -- will cost Canada's economy $89 million today and every day it continues, says the port authority.
As a lockout of 2,000 longshoremen began Sunday, authority spokesman Jamie Lamb predicted a heavy price for the dispute.
"This is economic activity that will not happen on a daily basis," said Lamb. "This is money lost in Canada's international trade."
B.C.'s investment minister said Sunday he is worried about the financial impact, but that the province can do little to resolve the dispute.
The New Democratic Party government is hoping both sides will return to the bargaining table, Mike Farnworth said.
"It certainly has an impact in the fact that you have people who aren't being paid, goods that aren't being moved, businesses that rely on goods," Farnworth said.
"It means you have the potential to lose business to other ports -- potentially permanently. None of these things we want to see happen."
The B.C. government has made its views clear to the federal Liberal government, said Farnworth, who met with Transportation Minister David Collenette last week to discuss the issue.
However, two federal cabinet ministers have suggested that Ottawa is unlikely to intervene in the situation.
And workers at the Vancouver office of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union were prepared Sunday for a long lockout.
In the office common room, at least two dozen workers pored over sheets setting out picket duties for the next few days.
"We're tenacious," said president Tom Dufresne, rejecting any possibility that workers will back down.
He acknowledged the economic impact of the dispute.
"We're worried about the impact on our members. We don't think there's any need to lock us out."
The dispute pits the B.C. Maritime Employers Association, which represents 71 port companies, against 2,000 longshoremen who are members of a union local in Vancouver and other B.C. ports, including Prince Rupert, and Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.
Last week, the employers' association issued what it called its final contract offer in negotiations for a new contract.
The union declined to put the offer to a vote, suggesting it was too similar to an offer rejected in June.
Management replied with the lockout plan enacted Sunday.
One factor in the dispute was a decision by a Calgary-based company called Sultran, which owns the Pacific Coast Terminal dock, to award a three-year contract to a non-union firm called Certispect Services to test the quality of sulphur shipments.
The employers' association has said it cannot get involved in the issue because Sultran is not one of its members.
Union officials have noted they have not threatened strike action or a withdrawal from talks.
Ships have already veered clear of B.C. to avoid being stuck in a port where longshoremen will be unable to cast off mooring lines, or unload cargo, said Lamb.
"This is a blow to the reputation of Vancouver, and the reliability of the port," said Lamb, whose agency acts as a kind of landlord for the port itself.
"Will we be able to regain business after the shutdown -- particularly if it is a protracted one? That's pretty much a question mark."
Bulk grain and some coal handled out of the Westshore Terminal at Roberts Bank under a separate contract are expected to be the only commodities handled by the port.
Petro-chemicals, sulfur, potash, coal, timber and scores of other products normally pass through the port, but will now be largely diverted elsewhere, officials say.
Rail traffic that would normally come into the region to offload, or collect cargo will stay away.
Rival ports in the Washington State communities of Seattle and Tacoma will likely pick up some business from Vancouver's misfortune, said Lamb.
Since the 1966 formation of the employers' union, there have been 14 labour disruptions at the port. Five were settled by back-to-work legislation.
Some companies, such as Dow Chemical have already enacted emergency plans to work around the dispute. At least six container ships have diverted to other ports due to the uncertainty around the dispute.
In the days leading to the lockout, shipping volumes plunged, with the port handling half the daily routine of 25,000 containers, according to Vancouver Port Authority president Norman Stark.
The employer's offer proposes a wage increase of 9.5 per cent, which would hike wages from $25.36 to $27.36, which is up 4.4 points from the June proposal.
The latest offer also proposes pension-contribution increases from $1.35 an hour to $1.40 an hour.