News / War of words heats up in port strike on Canada’s west coast

© Stan Jones

As the strike by dockworkers at the Canadian west coast ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert enters a fourth day, the language between the negotiators has become increasingly acrimonious.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) contract with the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) expired in March, but talks over a new agreement were overshadowed by the long-running, often fraught negotiations on the US west coast between the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the ILWU.

A “tentative” new deal was eventually ...