Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Port Metro Vancouver truck drivers meet with government, ask for March deal to be enforced

On Monday, truck drivers servicing Port Metro Vancouver asked the federal and provincial governments to take quick action against trucking companies that aren't honoring a deal negotiated last spring to end a strike.

More than 1,600 union and non-unionized truckers for Port Metro Vancouver went back to work in late March after hammering out an action plan that pledged to improve job conditions.

Representatives met with two levels of government to request an order-in-council, making rates legal and binding for workers across the sector.

Unifor director Gavin McGarrigle, who represents about 400 drivers, said companies are "thumbing their nose" at the 14-point action plan devised to get cargo moving after drivers walked off the job for weeks.

Workers don't want to walk out again, McGarrigle said, noting members are still in a legal strike position.

Manny Dhillon, who represents about 1,200 members of the United Truckers' Association of B.C., said drivers have become increasingly frustrated over rates owed since early April.

"They're pretty angry," he said, arguing 12 of the action plan's 14 points have not come to fruition. "It's really getting hard to calm people down out there."

Prior to Monday's meeting, a spokeswoman for the Federal Transportation Minister Lisa Raitt said she has been working with her provincial counterpart to ensure "the necessary steps" are taken to pay truckers. No details were given on when or how that might happen.

The truckers say that concerns remain over an oversupply of trucks in the industry, truck licensing problems and worries that the auditing system is not independent from the port.

On the positive side, truckers note some improvement, including the payment of more than $1 million in waiting fees and equipping fleets with GPS systems.

For more of the Vancouver Sun story: vancouversun.com

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