Truck drivers strike at Port of Vancouver averted

Unifor, the union for container truck drivers at Prudential Transportation, reached an agreement with the company on December 3, averting a strike that had been planned to start that day.

Earlier in the week, Aheer Transportation also agreed to the union’s demands. Together, the companies’ 200 or so drivers – about 10% of truckers serving Canada’s Port of Vancouver – had threatened strike action that could have exacerbated congestion at the port, still struggling with the impacts of flooding that have now affected its operations for three weeks.

In an update issued on Friday, the port said that demand for anchorages still exceeds capacity. It noted that rail and road restoration and reconstruction continue. “CP’s [Canadian Pacific’s] mainline between Vancouver and Kamloops remains operational with both CP and CN [Canadian National] trains transiting eastbound and westbound. Track inspections and maintenance activities are ongoing and low-speed restrictions remain in place. Further progress has been made on the repairs to CN’s rail line between Kamloops and Boston Bar.”

As of Friday, CN expected to reopen its network in southern British Columbia over the weekend.

The provincial state of emergency declared by the British Columbia Minister of Public Safety is in effect until December 14.