A strike at the Port of Vancouver could force sawmills to close and employees to be laid off as logs pile up at mills unable to get their forestry products across the Pacific Ocean.
Picket lines have been up outside the port since Feb. 26 as about 1,000 truckers refuse to work, citing low pay and undercutting by other truckers that has pushed many to work for a fraction of the posted rates. On Tuesday, the port confirmed truck traffic was only 15 per cent of normal.
Over the past two weeks, hours for longshoremen at the port have been reduced as the volume of traffic has decreased.