KILLARNEY, Man. – Lance Keller studies the line of picketing workers blocking his exit from the Agricore elevator here.
His semi trailer is loaded with canola destined for a crushing plant in North Dakota.
Keller knows he may have to wait at least half an hour before the striking workers allow him to leave. He takes another drag on his cigarette and settles in.
The trucker from Upham, North Dakota, said he doesn’t resent the actions of the Agricore workers, who took to the picket lines last week in Manitoba. He sympathizes, he said, because he finds the trend toward larger corporations worrisome.
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“These outfits are all merging and getting bigger and they’re thinking they can … on the little guy.”
Agricore was formed through a merger of Alberta and Manitoba wheat pools a year ago.
Keven VanCauwenberghe was among the more than 40 workers picketing Agricore’s new high throughput elevator at Killarney Nov. 12. He began working for Manitoba Pool Elevators after graduating from high school.
“I’ve been working for this company 15 years, sometimes 16 hours a day and getting paid for eight.
“Ever since Agricore was formed, it’s just been terrible.”
The Killarney Agricore terminal was still moving grain last week with the help of replacement workers brought in from Alberta.
But truckers trying to move grain in or out of the terminal often found it slow. One truck that arrived at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 12 was still at the elevator late in the afternoon.
“He’s got the gamut to go out too,” said striking worker Garth Stephenson.
The driver works for a local trucking company, explained Stephenson. The striking workers felt slighted that the trucker wanted to cross their line. They recalled times they had worked after hours to accommodate the driver when he arrived late to pick up or unload grain at an elevator.
The strikers allowed farmers delivering grain to Agricore to pass through their line without long delays. But farmers hauling grain for someone else faced delays similar to those encountered by commercial truckers.
“That’s another load going to Paterson or UGG,” said Stephenson, after one farmer looped around in the entrance to the Agricore elevator and left. “That’s good.”
