(Vancouver) Longshore workers at British Columbia ports voted nearly 75% in favor of the tentative agreement, ending a labor dispute that has prevented the shipment of billions worth of goods of dollars.
In a statement posted on the International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union of Canada (ILWU) website, President Rob Ashton said the results of the latest vote on ratifying the deal were 74.66% in favor. .
Union members voted Thursday and Friday on the tentative agreement that was jointly announced by the ILWU and the BC Maritime Employers Association last Sunday.
The acceptance of the deal, which covers around 7,400 workers, comes after the union twice rejected an agreement that emerged from a mediation process in July.
The agreement was rejected once by the union’s leadership caucus, then a second time by all members.
On July 28, in the last members’ vote, Federal Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to assess whether a negotiated settlement was still possible and, if not, to impose a new agreement or binding arbitration.
In their joint statement last week, the union and employers said the Industrial Relations Board helped the two sides reach the final agreement, which was ratified by both parties.
