Unionized Metro Vancouver outside workers’ job action may impact the dredging of Burrard Inlet to allow larger vessels. The Greater Vancouver Regional District Employees’ Union announced that its members are on strike, setting up picket lines at two water main projects in Vancouver and North Vancouver. These projects must be finished before dredging under the Second Narrows Ironworkers Memorial Bridge can begin in September. The dredging aims to enable oil tankers with larger capacities to navigate the waterway, a plan endorsed by the federal government.
The Metro Vancouver Regional District expressed concerns that prolonged picketing could disrupt project timelines and stated readiness for further mediated negotiations to reach a resolution. With 19 months passed without a contract, outside workers and the regional district have engaged in various job actions, including strikes in non-essential roles. Union president Jesse Medeiros emphasized the union’s willingness to support major projects but highlighted the impasse in negotiations with Metro Vancouver, warning of escalating job actions until a new contract is ratified.
Metro Vancouver assured collaboration with contractors and the use of exempt personnel to minimize potential project delays. Following mediated bargaining concluding on July 22, the district proposed a 10% wage increase over three years, aligning with recent settlements, such as with the Teamsters union. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority acknowledged the ongoing job action but refrained from speculating on impacts to the Second Narrows dredging works, currently in pre-construction stages.
