Friday, July 26, 2024 | St. Lawrence County, NY
The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) has reached an agreement with UNIFOR, representing 360 unionized employees, to end the strike that began Oct. 22. The agreement will have to be …
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The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) has reached an agreement with UNIFOR, representing 360 unionized employees, to end the strike that began Oct. 22.
The agreement will have to be ratified by employees in the coming days,SLSMC officials said.
Officials said ships will begin passing as of Monday, Oct. 30, with employees back to work at 7 a.m.
“We have in hand an agreement that’s fair for workers and secures a strong and stable future for the Seaway,” said SLSMC President and CEO Terence Bowles. “We know that this strike has not been easy for anyone, and value the patience and cooperation of our marine industry bi- national partners; carriers, shippers, ports, local communities and all those who depend on this vital transportation corridor on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border”.
Chamber of Marine Commerce weighed in on the end of of the strike as well.
“We are pleased that this interruption in vital Seaway traffic has come to an end, and we can focus once more on meeting the needs of consumers around the world,” noted Bruce Burrows, President and CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce (CMC). “The entire marine shipping industry will now get straight back to work to get things moving again as the one of the most reliable, efficient, and sustainable modes for transporting commodities”.
Burrows added: “I want to personally thank organizations including associations from all aspects of marine shipping in North America: from producers and shippers of commodities, to ports, to ship owners and our coalition partners - the “Seaway Strike Coalition” -- for coming together to assert the impact of this disruption.”
Overall, this strike, which took place during one of the busiest times of the year for the Seaway, is expected to have resulted in the loss of up to $100 million per day in economic activity across Canada and the US;
“It should now be clear to everyone how critical the Seaway is to the well-being of businesses and consumers. For our part, we look forward to immediate resumption of Seaway operations now that the strike is over, and look forward to cooperation in that regard,” said Burrows.
