BCMEA’s Industry Final Offer to ILWU Local 514 

Earlier this week, in an effort to bring nearly two years of negotiations to a close, with the strong support of our members, the BCMEA presented a final offer letter to ILWU Local 514 President Frank Morena that, if accepted, would reward the hard work of forepersons while ensuring the stability and resiliency of Canada’s West Coast ports.

See the letter and BCMEA’s final offer here.

The BCMEA and its members are proud to support powerful pay cheques and well-paying, family supporting jobs for B.C.’s waterfront workforce. This comprehensive and competitive offer represents the BCMEA’s sincere commitment to conclude negotiations in a manner that serves the best interests of both Parties and Canadians alike.

THE INDUSTRY FINAL OFFER
The final offer provides a fair and reasonable monetary package without seeking any concessions from the union and remains open until withdrawn.

The final offer is a four year agreement which includes:

• 19.2% wage increase
  • Year 1 – 5%, Year 2- 5%, Year 3 – 4%, Year 4 – 4%
  • Increase from current $64.31 Straight Time Base Rate (SBTR) to $76.68 SBTR
  • Increase of median foreperson compensation from $246,323 to $293,617
• Average $21,000 lump sum payment
  • On average all eligible workers will receive a lump sum payment of $21,000 inclusive of a signing bonus of $1.97/hour worked in 2022 and retroactive pay back to April 1, 2023
  • Subject to date of acceptance, the BCMEA will agree to retroactively pay the wage increase and deliver the signing bonus in full by mid-December
• 15% increase to M&M Payment (Retirement Benefit)
  • Increase to retirement benefit from $93,750 to $108,750 over and above pension entitlements
• 47% increase to meal allowance

The offer is modelled on the ILWU-Canada longshore collective agreement that was achieved in August 2023 and is in keeping with historic bargaining practices. However, the BCMEA has been transparent that aspects of the offer could change if negotiations continue to drag on and the economic and inflationary landscape shifts. As such, if the offer is rejected, any subsequent offer will no longer include the signing bonus lump sum payment and the wage offer will change to 2% in Years 3 and 4, respectively.

CONTINUED FOREPERSON JOB GROWTH

• BCMEA and its members are committed to continuing to invest in infrastructure and technology to grow Canada’s West Coast ports to be more competitive and reliable for our global trading partners.
• Since 2010, new foreperson jobs have increased by 73% – 307 net new foreperson jobs.
• Since 2020, there have been 214 new forepersons recruited, with more recruitments underway and forecasted for the future.

ILWU LOCAL 514 LEADERSHIP INTRANSIGENCE SET TO SHUT DOWN WEST COAST PORTS

Instead of meaningfully considering the industry’s final offer, ILWU Local 514’s leadership issued industry wide strike notice to commence on Monday, November 4 at or about 08:00 am PT. It is important to note that once a union commences strike action, the Canada Labour Code has no restrictions on the union subsequently changing the nature of its strike. For example, a strike may start as an overtime ban and be escalated – in minutes, hours or days – to full-scale strike action without notice, where all workers walk off the job. This potential creates tremendous uncertainty and significant operational and safety challenges for operators.

ILWU Local 514’s industry-wide strike notice is untenable for West Coast port operators and their supply chain partners who are involved in a complex multi-billion dollar industry that relies on stability, reliability and forecasting to function. Accordingly, to facilitate a safe and orderly wind-down operations, the BCMEA had the difficult choice to issue formal notice of its intention to lock out ILWU Local 514. 

The BCMEA and its members sincerely believe that this final offer best serves the 730 forepersons and their families while ensuring West Coast ports are resilient and affordable for all Canadians. 

We will continue to provide updates as the situation develops.

Last updated: November 2, 2024, 3:20 PM PT