Port of Montreal Dockworkers Plan Partial, Indefinite Strike

Dockworkers have voted in favor of an indefinite strike at two terminals at at the Port of Montreal. 

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 375 has been on an overtime strike at the port since early October. It also conducted a one-day work stoppage at all terminals on October 27, as well as a three-day partial strike on September 30 at two terminals at the port operated by Termont. On October 28, the CUPE issued a notice stating that next strike will start on October 31 at the same two Termont terminals, and will not have an end date for the time being. The partial stoppage will impact roughly 15% of the total cargo volume handled at the port, as well as 40% of container traffic. 

Dockworkers at the Port of Montreal have been without a labor agreement since their previous deal expired at the end of 2023. In mid-October, Canada's labor minister Steven MacKinnon met with the union and the Maritime Employers Association (MEA), urging both sides to agree to federal mediation and a 90-day cool-down period where workers wouldn't go on strike and the MEA wouldn't lock workers out. That proposal was ultimately rejected, after the CUPE and MEA were unable reach an agreement. 

The CUPE says that it is specifically targeting Termont's terminals, claiming the operator is "the only company at the Port of Montreal to modify schedules in a punitive way." 

“Termont is provoking longshore workers and their local by using schedules that have negative impacts on work-life balance," CUPE spokesperson Michel Murray said, adding that the union will call off its October 31 strike and continue larger collective bargaining negotiations if the issues surrounding work schedules are resolved.