Hundreds of striking truckers rally in Vancouver ahead of back to work order

VANCOUVER – Hundreds of striking container truckers are rallying in Vancouver just days before the B.C. government is set to force unionized drivers back to work with legislation.

BC Federation of Labour President Jim Sinclair told the crowd that their protest will send a message to the government that truckers won’t be bullied, and they won’t take down picket lines until a fair deal is negotiated.

The B.C. government has said it will bring in legislation, that includes at 90-day cooling off period, as early as Monday.

A few hundred unionized workers walked off the job almost two weeks ago, joining about 1,000 non-unionized truckers who refused to go to work late last month.

The port and the provincial and federal governments want the drivers to accept a 14-point plan that they say will solve driver’s complaints over low wages and long wait times to pick up containers.

At its peak, the port strike was estimated to be costing the Canadian economy about $885 million, however the port says container truck traffic is now up to 40 per cent of normal.