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Montreal dockworkers to halt all overtime work as talks drag on

MONTREAL — Dockworkers at the Port of Montreal plan to halt all overtime work starting this later this week in a pressure tactic aimed at management as contract talks continue.
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Dockworkers at the Port of Montreal plan to halt all overtime work starting this Thursday in a pressure tactic aimed at management amid contract talks. Shipping containers are moved in the Port of Montreal, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

MONTREAL — Dockworkers at the Port of Montreal plan to halt all overtime work starting this later this week in a pressure tactic aimed at management as contract talks continue.

The union representing nearly 1,200 longshore workers at the port says it has filed notice that the overtime strike will kick off at 7 a.m. ET on Thursday and continue indefinitely.

Michel Murray, a spokesman for the union local, says the Maritime Employers Association is "dragging its feet" in negotiations and that the job action aims to ratchet up pressure to reach a deal.

He says scheduling is a key stumbling block in the bargaining sessions, which resumed on Friday under the watch of federal mediators.

The discussions flared back to life after a three-day strike last week at two terminals that handle 41 per cent of container traffic at the Port of Montreal.

The dockworkers have been without a contract since Dec. 31.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 7, 2024.

The Canadian Press