The president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada does not foresee imminent job action despite the fact that the union’s contract expires at the end of the month. Tom Dufresne president of ILWU-Canada said the public should not be concerned now that Ottawa has appointed mediators Ted Hughes and John Rooney to help with the bargaining. They have 100 days to negotiate a settlement between the ILWU-Canada and the B.C. Maritime Employers Association.
Local 508 of the ILWU represents longshore and warehouse workers on Vancouver Island. They are among 3,000 union members from five different B.C. locals who will be without a contract March 31. “We are willing to sit down and bargain with the employers’ association and then see what recommendations the mediators come up with,” said Dufresne. “Until then, we don’t plan any job action.”