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St. Lawrence Seaway workers ratify new collective agreement

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Three billion tonnes of cargo have been transported via the St. Lawrence Seaway since its inception in 1959 (Photo Courtesy of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System).
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St. Lawrence Seaway workers have ratified a new three-year collective agreement after a tentative deal ended a week-long strike on Sunday.

A tentative agreement was reached between the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp and Unifor as negotiations were facilitated through a federal mediator.

The union says the deal includes annual wage increases of five per cent, four per cent and four per cent, retroactive to April 1, 2023, along with a $2,000 signing bonus.

The tentative agreement covers union members at Locals 4211, 4212 and 4323 in Ontario and Locals 4319 and 4320 in Quebec, who work in the supervisory and engineering group and the maintenance, operations, and clerical group.

The corporation is now working to clear what became a backlog of waiting vessels since workers returned Monday morning.

READ MORE: Seaway reopens as tentative deal reached

The strike raised concerns across Canada, with politicians such as the local mayors along Welland Canal and Premier Doug Ford issuing statements calling for a swift resolution to persevere the vital operations along the canal.

Last year, around $16.7 billion worth of cargo — nearly half of it grain and iron ore — passed through the St. Lawrence Seaway. The passage connecting to the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean is a key pillar in the transportation of goods in North America.

The key wedge in discussions, the union said, was wages, with which it said it remained “1,000 nautical miles apart” from management as of the beginning of the strike.

The corporation said that delays in reaching a deal came from this wage issue as well, citing the union’s push for increases inspired by the recent gains made by auto workers across the country.

Negotiations between the union and corporation had been ongoing from June until the tentative deal was reached on Sunday.

WATCH MORE: St. Lawrence Seaway shuts down as workers go on strike

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