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Canadian border agents will go into action at 12:01 am. EST Friday, unless a new labor agreement is reached with the state government first. the association announced Monday.
The new strike deadline is the latest setback in ongoing negotiations between the two sides. While union representatives threatened to strike last week, the parties on Friday agreed extension of mediated talks until Wednesday. Now, union representatives are making it clear that a new strike is not completely out of the question if an extension is not agreed.
The negotiating parties include the Treasury Department of Canada Secretariat, on behalf of the government, and a bargaining unit from the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Customs and Immigration Union, on behalf of thousands of Customs and Border Protection employees. The parties have been operating without a contract for over two years.
“We remain optimistic that we can avoid a strike and potential disruption at Canada’s border,” Canadian National Alliance of Public Service President Sharon DeSousa said in a statement. “No worker wants to strike, but we have set a firm deadline for this government to come to the table with a fair deal.”
The association represents approximately 9,500 Canadian border agents and support staff, who are stationed at airports, land points of entry, seaports and commercial ports of entry.
In a statement after suspending a possible strike last Friday, the Canadian government said the talks were productive and that it remains optimistic an agreement can be reached. The government did not issue a statement on Monday.
Since border agents are considered essential workers, even in the event of a strike, Canada’s borders must remain staffed and cannot be closed. However, if a strike occurs, shippers moving trucks between the U.S. and Canada can expect longer processing times and backup traffic at more than a dozen border crossings.
Logistics experts say it’s best to be prepared.
Paul Brashier, vice president of drayage and intermodal with ITS Logistics, said Monday in an email to Supply Chain Dive that if a strike were to occur, shippers should consider reserving cargo at U.S. ports of entry. The only efficient way to move any cargo coming into Canada would be to “move away from the ports, go through the dock and truck one-way,” he said.
ITS Logistics and other service providers have implemented contingency plans in anticipation of a strike by border agents. Brashier said his company has created port-of-entry shipping options in Canada and one-way shipping options from Prince Rupert to Vancouver and Montreal “to avoid the IPI leg of the ocean container journey.”
Brashier is confident that logistics service providers can handle a transportation disruption due to a strike. The industry made it through the COVID-19 pandemic and disturbances caused last summer during contract talks with Canadian dockers.
“One thing that has been positive from Covid and the labor disruptions of last year is that there is infrastructure and capacity to handle situations like this,” he said. “Although there will be headwinds, it should be quite buoyant.”