The Port of Vancouver's trucker employment saga continues, with a new container trucking commissioner and a deputy commissioner announced October 6 and tough talk from B.C.'s transportation minister on wage fairness.
Labour mediators Corinn Bell and Vince Ready have been appointed acting commissioner and acting deputy commissioner, respectively, of the province's Container Trucking Commissioner Office. The appointments follow the resignation of the previous commissioner, Andy Smith, in September.
Bell and Ready mediated during a month-long trucker strike in March 2014 and wrote a report on reforming the container trucking system. Among other things, that report recommended increasing the rates drivers are payed and reducing the number of trucking permits in order to cut down on rate undercutting. Port Metro Vancouver's handling of that license reduction was heavily criticized by truckers, who complained the process was unfair. The truckers won a court ruling on the issue in April.
A December 8, 2014 agreement mediated by Ready put in place higher rates for the truckers, and included the proviso that truckers be paid the higher rates retroactive to April 3, 2014. However, a recent audit of six trucking companies found that all of the companies had not paid the retroactive wages.
Unifor, the union that represents some of the truckers, has said that the problem is wide-spread across the industry and that truckers could end up being owed millions in back wages. In August, Unifor launched a court petition, claiming the Container Trucking Commissioner Office was not enforcing the payment of retroactive wages. The union had also complained that Smith was biased because he was the head of an organization representing shippers and port terminal owners at the same time he was container trucking commissioner.
Audits of 13 companies continue.
In a press conference on October 6, Transportation Minister Todd Stone said four of the companies audited are now paying their workers the back wages owed, but two are still refusing. The provincial government has not yet released the names of the companies.
"With a significant number of audits having been completed,and having determined non-compliance in all cases to this point, it’s criticalwe have the best and sharpest minds in the container trucker commissioner’soffice to adjudicate the findings of these audits," he said.
In order to be eligible for port trucking licences, companies were required to sign statutory declarations stating they did not owe employees any unpaid wages. Given that some companies that signed that declaration have been found to actually owe back wages, Stone said it was very important to establish "fairness" for both the workers owed wages and the compliant companies.
Bell and Ready will be working part time and will likely remain in their temporary positions for up to six months, Stone said. A search for a permanent commissioner continues.
@jenstden
