YVR watching for potential impacts as Canadian border workers warn they could strike as soon as next week
Canadian border workers have voted in favour of job action which could start as early as next week, according to the union, and Vancouver-area officials are watching closely in case of impacts to travellers.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada and its Customs and Immigration Union says its members may strike as soon as Aug. 6, three days before fully-vaccinated U.S. citizens will be able to visit Canada without having to quarantine for two weeks.
Ninety per cent of Border Services Officers are deemed essential workers, meaning they cannot walk off the job. Any strike action would involve work deemed non-essential.
“Duties that are not essential would be collecting duties and taxes, providing information, providing guidance,” said Mark Webber, national president of the Customs and Immigration Union. “It could mean slow-downs at borders, it could mean slow downs for Canada Post parcels and courier, essentially any activity that doesn’t directly affect the safety and security of Canadians.”
The members employed by the CBSA and Treasury Board began holding strike votes in June, after they had been without a contract for nearly three years and talks broke off between the two sides in December.
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/you-ll-see-disruptions-union-warns-strike-vote-could-jeopardize-border-reopening-1.5464921
Long-term issues like wage parity with other law enforcement agencies, paid breaks and a toxic workplace culture have been sticking points in negotiations, according to the union.
“We are not a good place to work and we want to see that addressed, people shouldn’t be going into work scared,” Webber said, adding there are also issues around scheduling.
“The CBSA wants, essentially, our jobs to matter more than our families. They want our shift change notice down from seven days to 48 hours, they want non-negotiated schedules so imposing the times we work at 24/7 operations rather than choosing the times that we work.”
The union is now waiting for a report from the Public Interest Commission, a non-binding, mandatory part of the bargaining process. Webber expects the report to be handed down this week and any job action can begin seven days later.
CBSA declined CTV News’s request for interview, instead issuing a statement. In part it reads, “The CBSA, as a dynamic and responsive organization that delivers high quality border services, will respond quickly to any job action/work disruption in order to maintain the safety and security of our border, ensure compliance with our laws, and keep the border open to legitimate travellers and goods… Ninety per cent (90%) of Border Services Officers have been identified as essential, meaning that they will continue to offer essential services if there is a strike. We expect that our officers will continue to fulfill their duties with the highest level of integrity and professionalism.”
A spokesperson for the Vancouver International Airport also wrote in an emailed statement: “We understand that 90 per cent of Border Services Officers are essential and will continue to offer essential services should there be a strike. The efficient journey through YVR is our priority as we welcome back more international travellers under Canada’s safe, risk-based and measured approach to re-opening Canada’s borders. We will continue to work with our partners and will monitor any potential impact should there be job action.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.