Media Advisory - Unifor available for comment following Vancouver trucker meeting with provincial and federal ministers

VANCOUVER, July 18, 2014 /CNW/ - Expectations are high as representatives of Vancouver's container truck drivers are set to meet with BC Transportation Minister Todd Stone and federal Transportation Minister Lisa Raitt on Monday.

A lack of implementation of key items in the agreement that ended the March 2014 strike threatens to shut down Port Metro Vancouver for a second time this year. Minimum rates for container truck drivers have not been legislated in the agreed time frames, and Unifor says that drivers are getting short-changed.

"Drivers went back to work. We upheld our end of the bargain. We expect the government to do the same," said Paul Johal, President of the Unifor-Vancouver Container Truckers' Association (VCTA). "We don't want to strike again, but we won't have a choice if the government doesn't meet its obligations."

WHAT:	Ministerial meeting to resolve outstanding action plan implementation
WHEN:	2 p.m.-3 p.m. PT, Monday, July 21
WHERE:	Port Metro Vancouver offices, 999 Canada Place, Vancouver
WHO:	Paul Johal, President Unifor-VCTA; Scott Doherty, Assistant to the Unifor President; Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor BC Area Director; Todd Stone, BC Transportation Minister; Lisa Raitt, federal Transportation Minister

Container truckers shut down Port Metro Vancouver for nearly four weeks in March 2014 as a result of undercutting by trucking companies and long wait times at the port.

Unifor was founded Labour Day weekend 2013 when the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers unions merged. With more than 305,000 members, Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector.

SOURCE: Unifor

For more information, please contact Unifor Communications Representative Ian Boyko at 778-903-6549 (cell) or [email protected]