West-bound grain tied up

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Published: November 14, 2002

Prairie grain exports heading west ground to a halt last week after

pickets went up at Prince Rupert, the one remaining open port on the

British Columbia coast.

The Canadian Wheat Board’s west coast marketing plan moved to Prince

Rupert this fall after members of the Grainworkers Union in Vancouver

were locked out Aug. 25.

The entire grain industry waited anxiously for a Canada Labour

Relations Board ruling Nov. 8 to see if workers would be forced to go

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The ruling was expected after The Western Producer’s deadline.

“It’s the same old story. It’s always some union holding us up at the

West Coast,” said Brian Kriz, president of the Grain Growers of Canada,

who urged federal labour minister Claudette Bradshaw to get grain

moving again.

In a statement, CWB chair Ken Ritter said: “There is no way that

farmers should suffer because grain companies and their employees

cannot come to an agreement.”

Last week, the British Columbia Court of Appeal lifted an injunction

prohibiting union pickets at Prince Rupert.

Bob MacPherson, president of the Grainworkers Union, said the pickets

were expanded to Prince Rupert in an effort to force the British

Columbia Terminal Elevator Operators Association in Vancouver back to

the bargaining table.

The two sides are in a dispute over contract issues such as recall

rights for laid-off workers. They’ve been without a contract since Dec.

31, 2000, and this summer both rejected a report by conciliator Vince

Ready.

Prairie grain has been rerouted to the underused northern British

Columbia port since the lockout began at Vancouver Aug. 25.

“Why don’t they get back to the bargaining table so farmers can move

their grain,” said MacPherson from the picket line in Prince Rupert.

“As long as Prince Rupert Grain is operating, if they have another way

to ship their grain, they will stay away from the table,” said

MacPherson of the terminal operators.

Three unions operate at the Prince Rupert port, the 97 Grainworkers

Union members who unload and clean the grain cars, the International

Longshoreman Workers Union members who load the ships, and the Public

Service Alliance of Canada, whose members inspect grain.

Grain shipments from Prince Rupert were halted at midnight Nov. 5

because members of the two other unions would not cross picket lines.

The labour relations board was to decide if the two unions have the

right to honour the grain workers’ line.

Jeff Burghardt, general manager of Prince Rupert Grain, was at the

labour board hearings Friday and was unavailable for comment.

Eric Harris, spokesperson for the B.C. Terminal Elevator Operators

Association, said the companies are determined to get more flexibility

in the contract over scheduling and recalls from layoffs.

Harris said because of the unusual year on the Prairies, only a small

amount of grain was scheduled to be moved in November and the port

shutdown has caused minimal damage to the grain companies.

Barb Isman of the Canola Council of Canada says the lockout has had no

effect on canola shipments.

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