VANCOUVER – Hundreds of union members showed up to support striking container truck drivers in downtown Vancouver today.
At a Noon rally at Canada Place, BC Federation of Labour president Jim Sinclair chided Port Metro Vancouver for threatening to pull the licences of non-union drivers who don’t return to work right away. About 1,600 container truck drivers have been on strike since March 10 for better wages and shorter wait-times at the Port. The drivers say it is virtually impossible for them to live on what they make now, in part because they are held up in long lines waiting to load and unload their cargo.
“It is outrageous that governments are willing to destroy the livelihoods of these drivers by banning them from working at the port. Truckers are just standing up for their right to make a decent living,” Sinclair told the crowd.
Speakers criticized the province for its plans to enact back-to-work legislation for 250 striking Unifor drivers that could be in place as early as Monday.
