Enemies! Canadian port workers restart general strike! It may further push up the freight rate of the US line

The International Union of Docks and Warehouses (ILWU) said dockworkers at Canada's Pacific Coast ports on Tuesday rejected a tentative four-year wage agreement with their employers last week and returned to the picket line. RBC previously reported that if the two sides do not reach an agreement by July 31, the backlog is expected to reach 245,000 containers, and it will take more than three weeks to clear the backlog even if no new ships arrive.

The head of the union group International Docks and Warehouses Canada announced that its caucus argued that the settlement terms proposed by federal mediators did not protect workers' jobs now or in the future. Unions have criticized management, while making record profits over the past few years, for failing to address the cost of living problems workers have faced in those years. The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association, which represents management, accused the union's caucus leadership of rejecting the settlement before all union members voted, and said the union's move was further harm to Canadians whose economy, international reputation and livelihoods depend on stable supply chains.

In British Columbia, Canada, on the Pacific coast, about 7,500 workers in more than 30 ports have been on strike since July 1, Canada's National Day. The key conflicts between labor and management are payroll, outsourcing of maintenance, and port automation. The Port of Vancouver, Canada's largest and busiest port, is also in the immediate scope of the strike. On July 13, the labor-management parties announced their acceptance of the mediation plan before the negotiation deadline set by the federal mediator for the terms of the settlement, reaching an interim agreement to resume normal port operations as soon as possible.

The analysis believes that the resumption of the Canadian port strike is expected to trigger more supply chain disruptions, and there is a risk of aggravating inflation, while playing a certain role in pushing up the US line.