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
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.