Toronto, October 1, 2024
North American Port Status Update
U.S. Port Status Update
Massive port strike begins across America’s East Coast
Dockworkers on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast began a strike early on Tuesday, their first large-scale stoppage in nearly 50 years, halting the flow of about half the nation’s ocean shipping after negotiations for a new labour contract broke down over wages. The strike blocks everything from food to automobile shipments across dozens of ports from Maine to Texas, in a disruption that analysts warned will cost the economy billions of dollars a day, threaten jobs, and potentially stoke inflation.
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) said in a statement on Tuesday that it shut down all ports from Maine to Texas at 12:01 a.m. ET (0401 GMT) and had rejected United States Maritime Alliance’s (USMX) final proposal made on Monday. They added that the offer fell “far short of the demands of its members to ratify a new contract“. The ILA union representing 45,000 port workers had been negotiating with the USMX employer group for a new six-year contract ahead of a midnight September 30th deadline.
Biden administration officials had met with both USMX and ILA ahead of the strike to encourage a deal, however they have repeatedly ruled out the use of federal powers to break a strike in the event of an impasse. That said, both U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris are closely monitoring the strike. The President has also directed his Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force to meet every day and prepare to address potential disruptions.
Canadian Port Status Update
The following message was issued by the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFFA) on Tuesday, October 1, 2024:
Work Stoppage Ongoing at Port of Montreal’s Viau and Maisonneuve Terminals
In line with the strike notice filed by the Longshoremen’s Union – CUPE Local 375, a partial strike affecting the Viau and Maisonneuve terminals began on Monday, September 30, at 7:00 am, and will continue until Thursday, October 3, at 6:59 am.
As a result, those two Termont-operated terminals are currently closed. Access to the terminals is prohibited, and no rail, ship or truck services are provided. All other Port of Montreal terminals remain in service.
The Montreal Port Authority continues to hope that the parties will reach an agreement as soon as possible, since any delay not only entails costs for companies using port services, but also puts $90.7 million in economic activity at risk for each day of interruption.
Read more and find updates on the Montreal Port Authority labour negotiations webpage.
For more information, please call David Lychek, Director – Ocean & Air Services at (905) 882-4880, ext. 1207.
