St. Lawrence Seaway Workers Will Not Go On Strike

Strike Would Have Disrupted Traffic Through Major Waterway

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The St. Lawrence Seaway is the main waterway linking the Great Lakes and Atlantic Ocean. Photo: Linda Gottschalk (CC-BY-NC).

Canadian workers will not be striking on the St. Lawrence Seaway, meaning that shipping traffic to the Duluth-Superior port will not be disrupted.

The major trade union Unifor, which represents the workers, has been negotiating with the Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation over a new contract. A prior union agreement representing 460 Canadian workers expired in March of this year. Last week, in the midst of the dispute, the union notified the Seaway of plans to strike.

Now, following negotiations that lasted day and night over the weekend, Unifor Spokesman Stuart Laidlaw said the two groups agreed to bring in an arbitrator to resolve any disputes, thus avoiding a strike.

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“Each side will present their case,” said Laidlaw. “Then, the arbitrator will take some time and decide on a best contract for the Seaway and the union.”

Duluth Seaway Port Authority Spokeswoman Adele Yorde said that port officials and dock operators are breathing a sigh of relief.

“This is such a busy time of year for Great Lakes Seaway transport,” said Yorde. “To have had a work stoppage along the Seaway could have had disastrous results for the end of the season.”

Andrew Bogora, a spokesman for the Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, said the arbitrator’s decision will be binding.

“The general labor situation will now be set until March 31, 2018,” he said. “We can look forward to over three years of commerce moving over the Seaway system without any new round of labor negotiations.”

Bogora said union workers took issue with a new hands-free mooring system. He says the change means the Seaway will phase out 67 jobs over the next five years.

Both groups say it’s uncertain when a deal will be reached.