Union: Canadian border workers’ strike suspended due to arbitration

By Anna Mehler Paperny

(Reuters) – A planned strike by thousands of Canadian border workers was put on hold on Friday to allow more time for mediation talks with their employer, the Canadian federal government, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) union said.

The mediation is expected to last until Wednesday, PSAC announced shortly before the strike deadline expired on Friday afternoon.

The government is pleased that the union is remaining at the negotiating table, the Canadian Ministry of Finance said in a statement late Friday afternoon.

“The talks have been productive so far and we remain committed to reaching an agreement as quickly as possible that is fair and reasonable for the members of the Border Services Group,” it said.

The United States is Canada’s largest trading partner, with an average of 3.6 billion Canadian dollars ($2.62 billion) worth of goods and services moving across the border in both directions in 2023, according to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

About 4,870 of the Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA) 5,400 front-line officers are considered essential, meaning they cannot legally stop working, an agency spokesperson said.

However, experts say the wide discretion given to border officials to stop, question and search travellers could significantly slow down border traffic at airports and land crossings.

This could affect industries ranging from the automotive industry, which relies on just-in-time supply chains, to the food industry, which deals in perishable goods, says Fraser Johnson, an economics professor at Western University.

“If you try to ship lettuce to Canada and you get stopped at the border, it has a limited shelf life. That becomes problematic,” he said.

“It’s not that the border is being closed. (Goods) just aren’t getting through as quickly.”

The Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association expressed concerns about possible business disruptions.

“Prolonged delays will disrupt operations and production schedules and harm manufacturers and their workers,” said President Dennis Darby.

Last year, a strike disrupted operations at ports on Canada’s west coast. There are also possible work stoppages at Canadian railroads and at the Port of Montreal, Darby said.

“Manufacturers treat the (Canadian-American) border as if it doesn’t exist. Anything that disrupts that border affects production,” he said.

According to Ian Lee, associate professor of management at Carleton University, the government has two options: binding arbitration or, as a last resort, a legal scheme to reintegrate workers into the labour market.

According to PSAC, the issues at stake between workers and the government include wages, telework, retirement benefits and worker protections.

(Reporting by Anna Mehler Paperny in Toronto; Editing by Leslie Adler, Rod Nickel and David Gregorio)