St. Lawrence Seaway and UNIFOR Agree to Binding Arbitration, Avoid Strike
November 2, 2014
Cornwall, Ontario (November 2, 2014) – The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) announced that it agreed with UNIFOR on Sunday evening to refer certain important issues to binding arbitration. UNIFOR represents the Corporation’s 460 unionized employees.
This agreement also suspends the right to strike or lockout, ensuring that shippers will continue to benefit from uninterrupted navigation until March 31, 2018.
Terence Bowles, President and CEO of the SLSMC, said “I am very pleased that we have reached this agreement, which enables navigation on the Seaway to continue without interruption”.
The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation is a private, not-for-profit corporation, created pursuant to the Canada Marine Act, to operate and maintain the Canadian Seaway. Some 227,000 jobs and $35 billion in economic activity are supported by the movement of goods within the combined Great Lakes / Seaway waterway. The St. Lawrence Seaway’s locks enable vessels to climb from approximately sea level in Montreal up to Lake Erie, a difference in height of some 600 feet (180 metres).
For more information on the Seaway, please consult the www.greatlakes-seaway.com website.