About 350 longshore workers at the Viau and Maisonneuve Termont terminals went on strike at 7 a.m. EST on September 30, after the local union and the Maritime Employer’s Association (MEA) failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement.

The 72-hour walkout occurred after the union took a strike vote on September 24, after rejecting the latest offer from the MEA. The union then issued a strike notice for the two terminals with conditions that it would consider halting the strike if employers met certain conditions. However, on September 29, the MEA stated negotiations had failed. Canada’s transport minister, Anita Anand, is urging the parties to continue negotiations, stating that the Port of Montreal is critical to supply chains.

The Port of Montreal’s longshoremen’s union has been without a contract since its previous agreement expired in December 2023.

Negotiations for a new contract have not resumed.

U.S. Ports Strike Ends

This partial strike in Montreal came one day before dockworkers at U.S. ports from Maine to Texas walked off the job. About 45,000 dockworkers at 36 U.S. ports went on strike at midnight EST October 1.

Late Thursday, October 3, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) announced that a tentative agreement was reached settling the wage dispute. Other elements will be negotiated at a later date. Dockworkers returned to the ports Friday morning.

The U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents the ports, and the ILA, which represents the dockworkers, agreed to extend the Master Contract until January 15, 2025.

A lengthy shutdown could raise prices on goods across North America and potentially cause shortages at big and small retailers.