No immediate end to truckers strike despite proposal from port, governments

VANCOUVER – Vancouver’s container terminals continue to operate at reduced capacity due to a strike by port truckers, despite a proposal aimed at ending the dispute.

The federal and B.C. governments and Port Metro Vancouver have announced a 14-point proposal designed to bring the strike to an end by making changes in a number of areas, including how truckers are paid.

But there has so far been no formal response from either Unifor, which represents unionized truckers, or the United Truckers Association of B.C., a group representing non-unionized workers.

Peter Xotta (ex-otta), a vice-president at Port Metro Vancouver, says there has been no change at the port, which is running at the same reduced levels it has been all week.

Xotta says he’s hopeful the workers will accept the proposal and return to work as early as Saturday, but the port hasn’t heard from the truckers’ groups and isn’t sure when that will happen.

The port has estimated the strike has affected roughly $885 million worth of cargo each week.