Striking B.C. port workers to hold rally as labour negotiations resume
CBC
Talks between the two sides in an ongoing port strike in British Columbia have resumed, ending a days-long stretch away from the negotiating table.
The B.C. Maritime Employers Association issued a statement on Saturday evening saying it met with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada.
The association said it proposed a committee and independent arbitrator to make recommendations related to key sticking points around maintenance work.
The meeting took place a day before the union is expected to hold a rally in Vancouver in support of the 7,400 workers who walked off the job on Canada Day, in part because the union says its jurisdiction over maintenance is being eroded by the use of contractors.
Talks broke off on Monday, and the association has accused the union of trying to "aggressively expand'' its control of maintenance duties beyond what has been established for decades.
Other issues on the table include concerns around pay, the cost of living, and automation.
In its latest statement, the association says an arbitrator could make non-binding recommendations to help parties consider whether union members could perform some or all of the maintenance work in question.
It says their side also proposed increased benefits for casual tradespeople and more apprenticeships, but the union rejected the ideas.
"We believe a deal can be reached if ILWU Canada wants one,'' the statement says. "We know that the best deals are made at the table, and this is exactly what we are proposing the parties do.''
The union did not immediately release its position on the meeting but has previously accused employers of waiting for the federal government to do their "dirty work'' instead of negotiating.
It has said employers enjoyed record high profits for many years, especially during the pandemic, and workers who work under difficult and dangerous conditions should have a fair share of that money.
Multiple business organizations across the country have called for Ottawa to step in with back-to-work legislation, citing concerns over the impact of a strike on the Canadian economy.
Federal Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan has repeatedly said he believes negotiations are the way to go.
It's unclear when the two sides will talk next. The employers association says it's awaiting further direction from federal mediators.
A long-serving United Church minister is preparing to leave his pulpit, adding pressure at a time when filling vacancies has become increasingly difficult.
Garrett Hawkins is on the cusp of making it to the big leagues. The pitcher from Biggar, Sask., has been added to the San Diego Padres 40-man roster.
Charlottetown Police and Fire Services are asking residents to avoid areas around Green Street due to a structure fire on Sunday morning.
Despite being born on a Christmas tree farm in Ohio, he wasn't really a fan of the holiday season.
A Hamilton hospital network is taking a closer look at how psychedelics might be useful in medicine.
Most people would prefer to spend the Christmas holiday weekend in warmth and comfort — but a Philadelphia man is going to spend it trudging 120 kilometres in the cold across Windsor-Essex.
Long before the first Calgary Stampede, the city attracted a different kind of cowboy.
After waiting four years to get his son the support the family says he needs to navigate school with learning challenges, a father from London, Ont. is fighting to make equitable healthcare and education a fundamental right.
Waterloo region and Guelph are under two yellow weather alerts warning of freezing rain changing to heavy rainfall Sunday, Environment Canada says.
A survey recently conducted on Prince Edward Island turned up a type of freshwater snail that experts say has never before been identified in the Maritimes.
A downtown Toronto long-term care home is rebuilding with a new design that considers lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, going beyond the province’s standards — but some say those standards are out of date.
It’s another wet and stormy day for much of Newfoundland and Labrador.
It’s been years since the tiny but aggressive European green crab made its way over to the Magdalen Islands, and some researchers in Quebec are warning it could be headed for the Gaspé next.