In addition to the traditional collective bargaining issues, employers seek to amend the Canada Labor Code to eliminate the use of a union strike or employer lockout and replace it with a mediation/arbitration process.
ILWU Canada said the proposed change would establish subjective criteria for the arbitrator to consider. Those criteria are outside of the usual scope of labor relations and would in effect curtail the rights of ILWU members to engage in free collective bargaining, the union said.