(Canadian Press)
Talks broke
down in the Vancouver container-truckers dispute Wednesday over what employers said were ransom-like contract demands.
Bob Simpson of Team Transport Services, which represents about 40 employers,
said truckers want an average 30 per cent rate increase, plus another 30 per cent on a laundry list of monetary demands.
He said some decisions must be made by the truckers to settle the dispute.
"To get realistic, and be responsible, come forward to us with a real solution."
Employers' lawyer Richard Longpre said unless drivers reduce their demands, they will rely on the courts and
labour board rulings to start moving containers. "The fact that talks have gone nowhere, it is time companies pick up their legal options," he said.
"I'm hoping, that by forcing the
legal issues, perhaps people will realize getting to the table and making some tough decisions is a better option."
The association representing 1,000 truckers set up picket lines June 27 to
push for a 15 per cent fuel surcharge to cover rising diesel costs and for standardized wages for truckers.
Although the port remains open and containers continue to move by rail, the flow of
container trucks moving roughly $30 million worth of goods every day is on hold.
Vince Ready, who was appointed as a facilitator to help end the dispute, shuttled back and forth between the two sides
until early Wednesday. But Simpson said 11 days of back-and-forth correspondence hasn't moved them towards a deal.
"There are just far too many issues to bring this to an end. VCTA is still
proposing costs that are totally out of whack with reality," he said.
While negotiations are stalled, ships continue to bring containers destined for trucks into Vancouver area ports.
"We'll be full this weekend," said Morley Strachan, vice-president of business development at Terminal Systems Inc., Vancouver's largest container operator.
He said it means ships from Asia
that have goods meant for trucks in the Vancouver area will have to drop the containers off in Seattle or Tacoma ports, if they can. "All the ports on the West Coast are very busy," he said.
Duncan Wilson, a spokesman for the Port of Vancouver, said 67 per cent of outbound containers move out by rail.
For now he said the impact is likely being felt only in British Columbia by store
owners and consumers. But Wilson said in the longer term, the biggest concern is losing Asian business. "What they're (truckers) doing is putting at risk their market share. If they thought it was
competitive before, it's only going to get worse," Wilson said.
A spokesman for the truck association didn't return phone calls. The dispute has clogged up Vancouver-area container ports for
more than two weeks.
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