About 140 truck owner-operators at Port Metro Vancouver have avoided strike action after coming to tentative agreements with two trucking companies, Pacific Transportation Group and Port-Team Transport, which had previously declined to ratify new collective agreements with its drivers.
The truckers, members of VCTA-CAW Local 2006, were in legal strike position at 11:53 p.m. on Thursday, April 30. An agreement was announced early in the afternoon on Friday, May 1 after BIV had gone to press.
"We are hopeful that this last-minute deal with two of the major players in the industry will send a signal to companies that have not yet signed that it's time to get on board," said Paul Uppal, VCTA-CAW Local 2006 service representative.
Four of the largest trucking companies at the port had previously ratified new collective agreements.
Local president Paul Johal said: "We have six identical collective agreements signed and the other companies that have not signed should make no mistake, sign the pattern agreement or face strike votes."