Trucking companies are not living up to their end of the deal reached in March that ended an almost month-long strike by Metro Vancouver container truckers, and the truckers are asking for government to request an order-in-council to make agreed-upon rates legal and binding.
Truckers are still not being paid the rates they are owed, and another strike could come as early as mid-September, Gavin McGarrigle, area director for Unifor, told reporters after a meeting with federal and provincial ministers at Port Metro Vancouver’s offices July 21.
“We don’t understand why, when we have two levels of government at the table and all of their legal people that they can’t figure out a way, whether it’s through regulation or order in council or legislation [to get the trucking companies to pay the rates the truckers are owed],” McGarrigle said. “We think order-in-council is something they can do right away, and that’s specifically what we asked the federal minister to do today.”
McGarrigle, who represents about 400 drivers, said the companies are not living up to the terms of the joint action plan.
“They have their wild-west mentality; they just seem to think that if there’s a loophole, they’ll jump through it as quickly as possible.”
He went on to say that it’s not just the trucking companies, but also the customers behind the companies, including forest companies and retailers, who are unwilling to pay the rates.
Manny Dhillon, administrator for the United Truckers Association (UTA), which represents 1,200 truckers, both union and non-union, said members of his association are growing increasingly angry.
“The frustration out there is hard to contain for us,” Dhillon said. “Today, we brought the issues on the table pretty frankly, showing that out of 14 points out of the joint action plan, up to 12 points [are not being met].”
Manny Dhillon,administrator for the United Truckers Association (UTA)
(PHOTO: Emma Crawford Hampel)
McGarrigle said there have been some positives since the end of the dispute, pointing out that $1 million in wait time has been paid out.
However, Dhillon said that the process is not transparent enough to make sure that the drivers are actually getting the wait time payments they are owed.
Arbitrators Vince Ready and Corrine Bell have been tasked with conducting a review of the sector, said McGarrigle, with a full report expected by September.
McGarrigle said while the truckers want to avoid another strike if possible, members are still in a legal strike position.
The truckers’ representatives are expected to attend a steering committee meeting July 30.
“We expect to have some updates at that point,” McGarrigle said.
Earlier in the day, prior to her meeting with disgruntled port container truck drivers and Todd Stone, her provincial counterpart, federal Transportation Minister Lisa Raitt told attendees at a Vancouver Board of Trade luncheon that the country’s logistics policy has helped develop a seamless road, rail and port transportation network since the 2006 establishment of the Asia Pacific Gateway strategy.
But she pointed out that there are significant challenges that must be addressed if the country’s goods and people transportation system is going to be able to respond effectively and efficiently to rapid growth and change in global trade and demand.
Identifying and resolving those challenges are among the reasons for the current Canada Transportation Act review being headed by former foreign affairs and industry minister David Emerson.
The Port Metro Vancouver container trucker dispute is high atop that list of challenges.
Raitt said government intervention in the dispute is warranted because Port Metro Vancouver is too important to the economy of the region and the entire country “to let irritants like this fester.”
