Shipping and Logistics
St. Lawrence Seaway Union Members Ratify New Labor Deal
Written by Laura Miller
November 7, 2023
Unifor members at the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. (SLSMC) have voted to ratify a new labor agreement.
The new, three-year labor pact covers 360 union members at the company. The workers are responsible for facilitating the transit of ships along the St. Lawrence Seaway, the lock system that connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
The maintenance, operations, and clerical group voted 85% in favor of the new agreement, and the supervisory group voted 87% in favor, according to a Unifor statement.
Ratification of the deal comes after a strike by Unifor members shut down the Seaway and halted transit through the system from Oct. 22-30.
Navigation on the Seaway was reopened at 7 a.m. on Oct. 30 after the tentative agreement was reached. The backlog of waiting vessels throughout the system was cleared by Nov. 3, a spokesperson for the SLSMC said in an email to SMU.
“Over the coming weeks, as the end of the navigation season approaches, the SLSMC will continue to take measures to maximize the movement of vessels carrying essential cargo along the Seaway,” the SLSMC said.
The navigation season typically runs from late March to late December before the Seaway’s locks are closed due to winter weather, according to the American Great Lakes Ports Association.
“We are now looking to extend the season by four days to recuperate some of the lost time” from the strike, the SLSMC spokesperson added.
Laura Miller
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