CORNWALL, Ontario – The union representing St. Lawrence Seaway lock workers has agreed to go to arbitration to settle a labour dispute with management.
Unifor and the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation avoided a strike by the workers by agreeing to send outstanding issues to voluntary arbitration, it was announced.
The union had set a Monday deadline to reach a deal or begin striking.
One of the key issues in the contract talks was staffing levels at the locks as the Seaway moves to hands-free mooring, eliminating the staff currently working on the locks. Unifor was calling for minimum staffing levels on the locks to deal with emergencies.
The Seaway announced in April that it had received funding from the federal government to automate the locks along the Seaway, eliminating the staff currently working on the locks. Work has already begun to retrofit Lock 3 on the Welland Canal with the new hands-free system. All locks across the Seaway are to be retrofitted by 2018.
