Month in Review – March 2023
Maritime
March 1: ONE’s Nixon Says Decarbonizing Shipping Could Add $2,000-$3,000 per Container – American Journal of Transportation
Ocean carriers should focus on transitioning from fossil fuels to decarbonized green fuels but expect an added cost of between $2,000 and $3,000 per 40-foot container, warned Jeremy Nixon, CEO of Ocean Network Express (ONE).
Nixon said an international regulation or carbon tax will be needed so that all ocean carriers make the investment together and not allow for some carriers to opt out, continuing to operate with cheaper fossil fuels that will allow them to undercut decarbonized ocean carriers.
Nixon explained the process by which the adoption of green fuels would add to the cost of a 40-foot container: “First, we have got to get the green fuel. So, the key three solutions, which are really methanol, ammonia, potentially synthetic LNG … require a lot of green hydrogen. Many other industries are competing for green hydrogen, so we need to make this call to all governments, to the IMO (International Maritime Organization). We need to accelerate the production of green hydrogen across the energy companies.”
March 2: Prince Rupert Port Authority Announces Milestone on Ridley Island Export Logistics Project – press release
The Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) announced that the Ridley Island Export Logistics Project (RIELP) has reached a significant milestone with the receipt of its final determination of the federal environmental effects evaluation review.
Federal authorities have determined that the Ridley Island Export Logistics Project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. The conclusion of the environmental review process is a prerequisite for the federal authorities to consider the required authorizations for the project to proceed.
Planned for the southern end of Ridley Island, the export logistics complex will be an integrated ecosystem of large-scale bulk and breakbulk transload facilities, intermodal rail yard and a container storage yard. The development will create a transloading facility for commodities such as plastic pellets, cereal grains, specialty agriculture crops, lumber and pulp to be loaded directly from rail into containers for export, creating 400,000 TEUs of export capacity in the first phase.
March 2: Transpacific Ocean Carriers Hope to Regain Trust of Shippers Burned During Pandemic Supercycle – gCaptain
Ocean carriers attending the S&P Global TPM conference last week owned up to mistakes over the past two years and are jockeying to rekindle relationships with shippers.
“Being back in front of the customer is the number-one priority for us right now,” said Peter Levesque, new president of CMA CGM in North America.
Levesque told the audience “a lot of things went wrong” with carrier-shipper relationships, but he suggested it was now time to “draw a line and learn from those mistakes.”
March 6: Container Shipping Market Yet to Bottom as Spot Rates Keep Slipping – FreightWaves
Xeneta CEO Patrik Berglund said in late November that, if spot rates had not stabilized and started to rise again by the first and second quarters of this year, “carriers have played this market really badly.”
By that definition, ocean carriers have played this market really badly.
Spot indexes are not plummeting like they were in the second half of 2022, but they’re still inching downward week after week. The market bottom is proving elusive as transport capacity continues to exceed demand.
March 13: Infrastructure Upgrade Sparks Cargo Logjam at Nhava Sheva Port in India – The Loadstar
Container terminals in Nhava Sheva Port (JNPT), India’s busiest public gateway, have been hit by congestion.
The problem is due to drastic capacity reduction at APM Terminals Mumbai, which accounts for the majority of export/import shipments moving through the gateway. Sources noted that the number of weekly services handled by APMT Mumbai, also known as Gateway Terminals India (GTI), had reduced from the normal 13 calls to six, due to the closure of a berth for crane upgrades.
“Spill-over berthing demand has complicated flows through other terminals,” a shipping line agent said.
March 13: Lake Superior Port Being Developed as Link to Northern Ontario’s Resource-Rich Ring of Fire – Inside Logistics
The northernmost heavy-cargo port on the Great Lakes is being developed by the BMI Group and the Red Rock Indian Band.
The two groups signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will allow them to explore the redevelopment of lands formerly used by a linerboard mill in Red Rock, Ontario, as a deep-water port. Red Rock is on the northernmost shore of Lake Superior, just off the Trans Canada highway, about 110 km northeast of Thunder Bay.
The Red Rock Integrated Marine Supply Chain, RRIM SC partnership between the BMI Group and the Red Rock Indian Band intends to connect the Great Lakes seaway to existing transportation infrastructure from the Red Rock port through to the Trans-Canada Highway and the northern Community Infrastructure Corridor.
March 14: Containers Outbound from Montreal Undergoing Extra CBSA Scrutiny – Inside Logistics
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has stepped up inspections of export containers leaving the Port of Montreal.
In a note to customers, Maersk said that, as of March 1, CBSA had increased the number of export exams in Montreal. Containers are being referred to the Entrepôts LaFrance examination facility for a full destuffing and exam.
The customs agency is stepping up the inspections to try to intercept increased stolen property and contraband being exported from Canada.
Maersk said customers should expect delays if an export container is selected for a full destuffing and inspection.
March 15: 3PL Sues Shipper for US$20 Million in Unpaid D&D Charges – The Loadstar
The fractious relationship between shippers and logistics service providers over D&D charges and billing has reached new heights: Expeditors is suing a customer of more than 10 years for withholding some $20 million in payments.
Expeditors said, “the vast majority of the amounts owed to Expeditors consisted of pass-through demurrage and detention charges from the underlying ocean carriers and marine terminal operators, which Expeditors had long since paid on Kohler’s behalf.”
March 16: Wan Hai Fined by U.S. Federal Maritime Commission – Splash
Taiwan’s Wan Hai Lines has become the latest carrier to feel the wrath of the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), copping a $950,000 fine as well as agreeing to refund charges in a detention and demurrage case that dates back to 2021.
Wan Hai invoiced a customer at least 21 times in the spring of 2021 for detention charges when the carrier “either offered no return locations, the designated terminal was not accepting the containers’ chassis, or appointments were unavailable for the subject containers,” according to the FMC’s order of investigation and hearing.
March 17: New U.S. FMC Rule Expands Shippers’ Eligibility for Carrier Refunds – FreightWaves
A new rule requiring ocean carriers to refund importers and exporters for illegal overcharges and potentially for other violations of the U.S. Shipping Act will go into effect next month.
The changes, set out in a final rule scheduled to be published by the Federal Maritime Commission on March 20, are in the form of amendments to the FMC’s Rules of Practice and Procedure governing the assessment and collection of civil penalties. They codify provisions included in the Ocean Shipping Reform Act (OSRA) of 2022.
FMC’s rule explains that before OSRA 2022, any person violating the Shipping Act – or a regulation or order of the FMC issued under that law – is liable for a civil penalty. OSRA 2022, however, changed the language in the Shipping Act governing potential liability of a violator by adding the phrase “or, in addition to or in lieu of a civil penalty, is liable for the refund of a charge.”
Customer refunds are also included in a new provision enacted by OSRA 2022 that addresses the issue of charge complaints, such as inappropriately charging or overcharging for demurrage and detention.
March 20: Crunch Time for Trans-Pacific Container Shipping Contract Talks – FreightWaves
The annual contract season is down to the final stretch in the trans-Pacific shipping market. Import costs, liner profitability and service reliability all hinge on where contract prices settle in the next few weeks.
The plot twist this year is that the prior round of annual contracts were signed at historically high levels and the timing of the current contract RFP season coincides with a period of still-sinking spot rates.
Import demand remains weak due to bloated inventories, with inbound volumes reminiscent of spring 2020, when the culprit was COVID lockdowns.
The risk ahead: If shipping lines cannot obtain enough contract business at rates sufficient to cover costs as a result of weak demand and falling spot rates coinciding with the 2023 contract RFP season, the lines could take drastic action and cut much more capacity in the trans-Pacific, reminiscent of what they did in 2020.
March 20: ILWU Canada Seeks Conciliation in Talks with BCMEA – news post on ILWU Canada website
The ILWU Canada Bargaining Committee has filed a notice of dispute with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. The union said in a post on its website that it is taking this action “because there has been no meaningful progress with the BCMEA in discussions to renew the Industry Collective Agreement.”
The union is seeking to have the Minister of Labour appoint a conciliation officer to assist the parties in their negotiations.
March 21: Measuring the Carbon Footprint of Vessels at the Port of Montreal – press release from the Port of Montreal
The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) and Global Spatial Technology Solutions (GSTS), a company that specializes in applying artificial intelligence (AI) to shipping, announced the launch of a new project to measure and reduce the carbon footprint of vessels using the Port of Montreal that makes the most of artificial intelligence.
The project provides real-time data on the route, speed and position of vessels heading to Montreal. These data are then analyzed to obtain an accurate estimate of a vessel’s arrival time and adjust its route to coordinate with the availability of berths in the Port of Montreal. This makes it possible for ships to optimize their sailing speed, which in turn reduces fuel consumption and GHG emissions, shortens anchoring time before docking, and benefits operational planning and optimization.
Ultimately, the digital corridor concept will enable accurate, real-time communication between ports, terminal operators and ocean carriers to improve operational efficiency and decrease GHG emissions.
March 22: The ‘Mother of All BAFs’ May Loom for Shippers as Green Targets Advance – The Loadstar
Shippers are concerned that maritime discussions on decarbonization are shaping up to result in “the mother of all BAFs” for shippers, as carriers will seek to pass on the costs of using sustainable fuels.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is set to meet in July and is widely expected to increase its ambition of a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 to 100%, and will also discuss market-based measures, such as a carbon levy.
To achieve the new target, the maritime sector will need to invest heavily in the technology needed, with some of these processes already under way, with methanol testing, ammonia and LNG all a possibility.
Costs related to decarbonization are difficult to estimate, but Drewry Shipping Consultants director Philippe Damas, in a Linkedin discussion on the EU Emissions Trading System, said: “Drewry estimates that on the major Asia-North Europe route, these combined policy measures will increase bunker costs and emission-related taxes or allowances from $312 per 40ft container for very low-sulphur fuel oil today to $568, or about $458/40ft using methanol, a low-carbon fuel.”
March 23: Vancouver Fails to Get ILWU Canada Support for RBT2 – WorldCargo News
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) has failed in its effort to get the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU Canada) to lobby the federal government to support its proposed new Roberts Bank Terminal 2 development.
The federal government is currently considering the final environmental assessment for RBT2. The VFPA has been conducting a lobbying campaign in Ottawa for months now to try to get a favourable decision and working to line up support for the project in Vancouver and across Canada.
Earlier this year, the ILWU wrote an open letter to the Government of Canada asking that it deny the environmental permits for reasons including its concerns about automation. The ILWU is concerned that RBT2 will bring in a higher level of automation than currently exists in Vancouver. There are some remote-controlled RMGs at the rail interface at Deltaport and at DP World’s terminal in Vancouver, but it is believed they are operated with one operator to each crane. As the ILWU sees it, RBT2 will bring a higher level of automation to the port, creating a precedent that existing terminals will be forced to follow to remain competitive.
After the ILWU Canada came out against RBT2, the VFPA tried to get the union to change its mind and support the terminal in return for a commitment from the port to “ensuring the terminal will be an ILWU-certified facility.”
March 27: Container Shipping Can See ‘Green Shoots’ of Freight Demand Recovery – The Loadstar
Some liner services are reported to have full ships again, container spot rates have stabilized, the charter market is bullish and ocean carriers are back at shipyards ordering new tonnage.
It seems the week has started positively for carriers and shipowners, with ‘green shoots’ of a recovery starting to emerge.
The March 27 Ningbo Containerized Freight Index (NCFI) commentary reports that, during the past week, container spot rates increased on 15 of the 21 export routes it tracks from the Chinese port.
For instance, on the key Asia to Europe tradelanes, it says “some voyages sailed with full loads” and that carriers had “pushed up market rates for April voyages.”
March 27: Trans-Atlantic Container Rates Still Double Pre-COVID Levels – FreightWaves
Container shipping rates are not back to normal quite yet. Trans-Pacific rates have returned to pre-COVID levels, but pricing in trans-Atlantic markets has not.
Spot container rates from Europe to the U.S. – while falling – are still more than twice pre-pandemic rates.
The Drewry World Container Index (WCI) spot-rate assessment for Rotterdam, Netherlands, to New York was $5,061 per forty-foot equivalent unit in the week ending Thursday. That’s down 32% from last year’s peak but still 2.5 times rates in March 2019.
Asia-West Coast spot rates shot far higher than trans-Atlantic rates during the 2021-2022 shipping boom but came down faster and fell further. The WCI Rotterdam-New York spot-rate assessment was 2.7 times higher than the Shanghai-Los Angeles index assessment last week.
March 28: FMC Wants Ocean Carriers to Prove Detention, Demurrage Charges Comply with OSRA – Supply Chain Dive
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission is requesting details from 11 ocean carriers and marine terminal operators proving that their detention and demurrage surcharges comply with the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, according to a March 23 press release.
The agency is asking the carriers to attest and show policies and practices through its Vessel-Operating Common Carrier audit program.
COSCO, CMA CGM, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd, HMM, Maersk, MSC, ONE, OOCL, Yang Ming and ZIM are the carriers in question.
March 31: Shippers Pushed Towards Spot Rates as Contract Negotiations Stall – The Loadstar
While container spot rates on the Asia-Europe and transpacific tradelanes appear to have reached a nadir, start dates for many new long-term contracts remain uncertain.
Indeed, with contract negotiations stalled and demand weak, shippers, BCOs and NVOCCs are switching a much higher percentage of their business to the spot market.
In fact, carriers are actively encouraging their contract customers to book cargo via spot, rather than lose them to cheaper competitors and have to buy them back later.
The Asia to North Europe component of the Freightos Baltic Index (FBX) was flat this week, at an average of $1,349 per 40ft, and it is clear that carriers are prepared to do whatever it takes, in terms of capacity management, to prevent rates on the route dipping below $1,000.
Air
March 2: ‘Time for a New Baseline’ as Air Cargo Capacity Rose Above Pre-Pandemic Level in February for First Time in 4 Years – American Journal of Transportation
Global air cargo volumes fell 4% year on year in February, as available cargo capacity rose above the pre-pandemic level for the first time in four years, according to the latest weekly market analysis from CLIVE Data Services, part of Xeneta.
Global air cargo capacity increased for the eleventh consecutive month in February, up 11% on the same period last year. The global average air freight spot rate of US$2.73 per kg declined 35% year on year but remained 52% ahead of the pre-COVID level seen in 2019.
Niall van de Wouw, Chief Airfreight Officer at Xeneta, said the latest data means it’s time for the industry to let go of pre-COVID comparisons and to acknowledge a new baseline for air cargo market growth.
“The fascination and rhetoric around airfreight rates going back to the 2019 level needs to be replaced based on the inflationary components we now see. Name me a service or product that you acquired four years ago that you’re still paying the same price for now. The air cargo industry should be focused on where growth is going to come from because the general air cargo volumes have seen negative growth for four years and, based on the first two months of 2023, are still -8% in terms of chargeable weight compared to four years ago. That is not a growth market,” he said, adding 2019 was also a relatively weak year for air cargo after a buoyant 2018.
March 6: Disjointed EU PLACI Rollout Risks Customs Clearance Delays – IATA press release
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) calls for urgent action to address the disjointed rollout of the EU’s new Pre-Loading Advance Cargo Information (PLACI) System. PLACI went live on March 1 despite 12 European states not being ready and not having given definitive information about their timelines for readiness. As a result, there is a risk of exacerbating supply chain difficulties with customs clearance delays.
Some of Europe’s biggest air cargo hub airports are located in the 12 states that are not PLACI ready: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Greece, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and Sweden.
“The delayed implementation of PLACI in 12 European states must be urgently addressed. With supply chain difficulties already impacting people and businesses, the risk of increased delays for customs clearance must be avoided. It is exasperating that 12 European governments have not met the implementation timeline and have yet to provide definitive indication of when they will be ready. These states must urgently provide the necessary clarity to enable airlines to adapt their own implementation planning,” said Brendan Sullivan, IATA’s Global Head of Cargo.
March 17: Global Tonnages Flatten as Average Rates Further Soften – Air Cargo Week
Global air cargo tonnages appear to have stabilized following their post-Lunar New Year bounce-back in recent weeks and their steady decline throughout most of last year, while average rates continue their gradual softening trend, the latest preliminary figures from WorldACD Market Data indicate.
Figures for week 10 (March 6 to 12) show a small decrease (-1%) in worldwide tonnages compared with the previous week, which had seen a modest tonnage rise (+1%). On the pricing side, global average rates remained stable compared with the previous week.
Comparing weeks 9 and 10 with the preceding two weeks, tonnages are up by 2% above their combined total in weeks 7 and 8, accompanied by a 2% increase in capacity, whereas average worldwide rates slightly declined by 2% – based on the more than 400,000 weekly transactions covered by WorldACD’s data.
March 20: WestJet Freighters Set for Takeoff Following Conversion Approval – Air Cargo News
Transport Canada has certified WestJet’s four B737-800 Boeing converted freighters, meaning the airline can now launch all-cargo operations.
Until now, the airline has been unable to use its freighters as Boeing awaited certification of its conversion program.
Now that approval has been given, WestJet Cargo and partner GTA Group will “expeditiously implement three freighters into service” with the first flight expected on April 22. The fourth of WestJet Cargo’s freighters is expected to join the fleet later this year following the completion of its conversion.
March 29: Airfreight Rates Climb on the Transpacific in March – Air Cargo News
Transpacific airfreight rates picked up in March, although there were further declines from Hong Kong to Europe and across the Atlantic.
The latest statistics from the Baltic Exchange Airfreight Index show that prices from Hong Kong to North America in March increased by 9% compared with February, to $5.38 per kg.
Prices from China to the U.S. were also up, increasing by 7.8% in March compared with February.
“Sources cited an ‘end-of-quarter rush’ particularly in e-commerce and garments ahead of Easter – though [they are] also expecting prices to soften again,” stated data provider TAC Index in its weekly market round-up.
March 31: WestJet Pilots Set to Launch Strike Authorization Vote as Negotiations Fizzle – CBC News
The union representing WestJet pilots will launch a strike authorization vote on March 31 as contract talks with management drag on, the Air Line Pilots Association said.
Bernard Lewall, who heads ALPA Canada’s WestJet contingent, said its 1,600-person membership is “frustrated” after six months of bargaining with a company he claims has failed to seriously engage with it.
The issues revolve around wages, scheduling and work conditions at WestJet and its discount subsidiary Swoop, with 39 pilots opting to leave for other airlines in the past month alone, Lewall said in a phone interview from Calgary.
Rail
March 6: CN Workers Back Union Strike Mandate as Contract Talks for 3,000 Employees Continue – Global News
CN workers backed a strike vote with negotiations set to resume on a contract for around 3,000 Canadian employees.
Unifor announced on March 5 that workers with Local 100 are 98 percent in favour of a strike, while those with Council 4000 voted 97 percent to back job action.
The union says the two sides are in the final stages of negotiations, with another round of talks set for next week.
March 7: Head of Steam Building Against U.S. Freight Railways after New Derailment – The Loadstar
The heat is piling up on Class I rail companies after yet another Norfolk Southern (NS) train derailed in Ohio, barely a month after the catastrophic derailment of a 150-car NS train in the state.
Legislators are up in arms over the rail industry’s safety record and are preparing legislation to tighten safety measures.
Despite the minor impact of the March 4 derailment, it caused outrage across the U.S. Senate. Senator Sharrod Brown from Ohio pointed out that NS had suffered four derailments in the state in five months. He called this “unacceptable” and accused the railway of putting profit margins before safety, while Mike Turner, who represents the area of Saturday’s crash, called the derailments “outrageous.”
NS CEO Alan Shaw is due to testify before a Senate committee on Thursday and is bound to face a hostile audience.
In the aftermath of the derailment in East Palestine last month, U.S. transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called on the railways to end their aggressive lobbying efforts and resistance to safety legislation.
Momentum for tougher rules on railway safety has seen a rare show of unity of members of both parties on Capitol Hill. A proposal before the Senate, endorsed by President Biden, aims for higher fines for safety violations, tougher rules for trains carrying hazardous materials, increased funding for hazmat training, accelerating replacement of older tank cars with more robust models and a minimum of two persons manning a train.
March 15: Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern Combination Approved by U.S. Surface Transportation Board – press release from CP
The U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) issued a decision on March 14 approving the Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern joint merger application, subject to certain conditions, thereby authorizing the two railways to combine to form Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), the first single-line railway connecting the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
The decision authorizes CP to exercise control of KCS as early as April 14, at or after which point CP and KCS will combine to create the new CPKC. CP is reviewing the full 212-page decision in detail and in the coming days will announce its plans with respect to the creation of CPKC.
March 17: CP Sets Date for Combination with KCS, Announces CPKC Executive Leadership Team – press release from CP
Canadian Pacific will on April 14 exercise the authority granted by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board’s final decision and combine with Kansas City Southern to create Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), the first and only single-line railway connecting the U.S., Mexico and Canada. CP also announced the executive team that will lead CPKC.
March 20: CN and Unifor Reach Tentative Agreements, Avoiding a Potential Strike – press release from CN
CN has reached new tentative collective agreements with Unifor. The collective agreements cover approximately 3,000 CN employees working in various departments such as Mechanical, Intermodal, Facility Management, and in clerical positions in Canada.
No details of the tentative agreements will be released publicly until the agreements are ratified.
Trucking
March 6: Quebec Fleets Frustrated by Problems with New SAAQclic Platform – Today’s Trucking
Quebec fleets are reporting an array of problems with the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec’s new SAAQclic platform, ranging from denied registration processes, to delays and active fleets identified as being shelved.
“Things are still complex in some cases,” Quebec Trucking Association (QTA) CEO Marc Cadieux said, referring to the platform launched February 20. His members have complained the system is slow, and that appointments are set far into the future.
But there were also unpleasant surprises for some carriers when they went to consult their file. “With amazement, they saw that their fleet, or part of their fleet, was erroneously identified as being scrapped,” Cadieux said.
The QTA leader has expressed concerns about the registration renewal processes to Minister of Transport and Sustainable Development Geneviève Guilbault. “We are concerned that we will not be able to complete all registration renewals by March 31 if the situation does not improve, and this makes us fear that there will be a disruption in the supply chain,” he said.
March 13: Manitoba Legislation Targets ‘Chameleon Carriers’ – Today’s Trucking
Manitoba is looking to target “chameleon carriers” – businesses that close and reopen under a different name rather than addressing safety issues – by assigning “conditional” safety ratings to operations thought to be doing that very thing.
Current rules don’t allow the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure to refuse to issue a safety certificate under such circumstances.
New carriers must identify a certified compliance officer and submit a safety plan before being issued a safety fitness certificate. Existing carriers with a “conditional” safety rating must certify a compliance officer within 180 days.
March 13: Quebec Announces New Measures, Extends Registration for Truckers amid Ongoing Crisis at SAAQ – Global News
The Quebec government is introducing another wave of measures to ease the ongoing customer service crisis at the province’s automobile insurance board.
The Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) has been dealing with lengthy lineups at many of its service centres since its so-called digital transformation. It introduced a new online portal on February 20, which users have had trouble accessing due to an authentication issue.
Under the latest plan, registrations for truckers and transportation companies will be valid for an additional 90 days, giving drivers more time to renew their registrations.
March 14: Three Red Flags That Could Signal a Double-Brokerage Scheme – Transport Dive
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association compliance team receives about 10 to 15 calls a week from unfortunate truck drivers with similar stories.
The drivers tell about hauling a load only for the broker who hired them to disappear. When the driver brings the bill to the legitimate broker, they often aren’t aware the shipment was rebrokered. “This double-brokering scam, it’s just so prolific,” said Tom Crowley, a regulatory specialist at OOIDA. “It’s everywhere.”
OOIDA and the Transportation Intermediaries Association, which represents freight brokers, disagree on plenty. But they share a common cause in eliminating fraud, which can hurt each group’s members financially.
CIFFA Advocacy, Communications, Activities
March 27: CIFFA Letter Regarding Canada’s West Coast Ports Labour Negotiations
CIFFA has written to several government ministers to draw attention to the ongoing labour negotiations at Canada’s West Coast ports. The BCMEA and ILWU are negotiating two coastwide collective agreements on behalf of the Longshore Locals and Local 514 Ship & Dock Foremen.
CIFFA’s members regard this situation as potentially one of the most significant impacts on Canada’s economy, with the potential to create very significant disruptions, which would undoubtedly increase consumer costs, fueling additional inflation, and severely impact businesses relying on imports of equipment or exports of products.
CIFFA urged government to do everything in its power to ensure this bargaining process is well-supported and that the government is proactive and swift in taking action to protect Canadian business and consumers. Even the mere threat of a labour disruption will undermine the economic and social well-being of Canada.
