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Port of Montreal dockworkers set to launch overtime strike as contract talks continue

MONTREAL — Dockworkers at the Port of Montreal are set to halt all overtime work this morning in a pressure tactic targetting their employers as contract talks continue.
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Dockworkers at the Port of Montreal are set to halt all overtime work this morning in a pressure tactic targetting their employers as contract talks continue. Longshore workers begin a three-day strike outside the Maisonneuve Termont terminal in Montreal, Monday, September 30, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

MONTREAL — Dockworkers at the Port of Montreal are set to halt all overtime work this morning in a pressure tactic targetting their employers as contract talks continue.

The union representing nearly 1,200 longshore workers at the port filed notice on Monday that the overtime strike will kick off at 7 a.m. EDT today and continue indefinitely.

Union spokesman Michel Murray says scheduling remains a key stumbling block in the bargaining sessions, which resumed on Friday alongside federal mediators.

The Maritime Employers Association struck back against the union earlier this week, warning that employees assigned to shifts with incomplete crews will not be paid because they slow or halt the flow of freight.

The association, which represents shipping companies and terminal operators, says the freeze on overtime work will have a big impact on operations.

The limited job action comes after a three-day strike last week at two terminals that handle 41 per cent of container traffic at the country's second-largest port.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2024.

The Canadian Press