The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada on Friday announced they would recommend the tentative deal proposed by federal mediators to their members.
Local union chapters will host a “stop work” meeting during the morning of Tuesday, July 25, to officially make the recommendation, according to a news release.
The announcement ends a period of uncertainty in Canada over the future of a West Coast port labor deal. While a tentative deal has been on the table since July 13, on Tuesday the union’s longshore caucus rejected the terms of the deal and attempted to renew its strike.
Now, the deal is finally heading to a membership vote with official recommendation from ILWU Canada leadership, Canada Minister of Labour Seamus O’Regan said in a Friday tweet.
Thank you to the ILWU Canada Longshore Caucus for sending the Terms of Settlement to a membership vote, with their recommendation for ratification.
— Seamus O'Regan Jr (@SeamusORegan) July 21, 2023
Right now, BC ports are operating, but we need long-term stability.
O’Regan had a hand in pushing the tentative deal to a resolution earlier this month, when on July 11 he prompted federal mediators to propose a settlement to the union and their employers, the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association.
ILWU Canada and the BCMEA originally came to a tentative agreement within days, on July 13. The employers group said BCMEA members ratified the tentative deal the same day.
“The tentative agreement presented is the result of months of negotiations and mediation; we are hopeful that the voting membership, like the ILWU Caucus Leadership and Bargaining Committee, will support the fair and equitable deal as recommended by the senior federal mediator,” the BCMEA said in a statement.
The employers group also said they expected ILWU Canada members to vote “late next week, with results anticipated shortly thereafter.”
