According to the Port of Montreal—and verified in a press conference held today—the labor union, which staffs two terminals at the Port of Montreal, filed a 72-Hour Strike Notice today.
Syndicat des débardeurs Local 375, a local member of the CUPE labor union, voted to approve a strike mandate on Wednesday to make such an action possible. In a press conference today, it was confirmed that they sent the 72-Hour notice at 7:00 AM EST this morning—this means their strike will begin on Monday, September 30 at 7:00 AM EST.
Currently, the strike will only affect the Termont and VIAU Terminals, which are two of the four major container terminals within the Port of Montreal. Some rail carriers have already begun an embargo for cargo in and out of the affected terminals in preparation.
The strike will have an expiration date of Thursday, October 3 at 6:59 AM EST.
At this time, Cast Terminal and Racine Terminal are expected to continue to operate. However, the local unions at these terminals could follow a similar path, though no such notice has been issued from them.
With the looming US East Coast port strike, news that Montreal will also be shut down for most of the week will be unwelcomed to those planning to use Montreal as an outlet.
Mohawk Global will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates, as necessary. If you have questions, reach out to your Mohawk Global representative.
By Chris Lindstrand, Vice President of International Transporation