Let the booze flow

[grammafreddy]

http://www.castanet.net/news/BC/110923/ ... ne-imports

Truckers' strike hinders wine imports
by CTV | Story: 110923 - Mar 13, 2014 / 7:59 am

Photo: CTV
Unionized truckers put up picket lines at the entrance of Port Metro Vancouver on March 10, 2014. (CTV)

Lovers of South American malbecs will soon have to look for libation closer to home as the strike of truckers in the Port of Metro Vancouver heats up.

Container shipments are beginning to pile up inside the port as unionized truck drivers mark the third day of their strike while non-unionized truckers have been off the job since the end of February.

Some local wine merchants say they will soon run out of stock, especially wines coming from South America and Europe.

“For us it’s not good,” said Robert Simpson, general manager of Liberty Wine Merchants. “This is wine we buy every year for spring and summer and it doesn’t get better sitting in the port. And it really is wine we want to drink now. It’s fresh.”

During the last trucking strike in 2005, truckers stayed off the job for 47 days and merchants poured out a lot of wine that spoiled in shipping containers overheated by the mid-summer’s sun.

With cooler spring temperatures, the wine should keep for a while longer but a prolonged strike would still prevent wine from reaching the consumer, according to Simpson.

While wine drinkers will have to make do without their imported rosés, Guinness drinkers may need to scramble leading up to St. Patrick’s day.

“It’s such a big weekend, it’ll be really tough,” said Charlie Bethell who is general manager of the Blarney Stone. “To get through that weekend, we’ll need a lot of kegs.”

Currently the Gastown Irish pub has 10 kegs of the dark stout on hand – enough for 1,000 pints.

“Typically I would say we would expect around 100-150 kegs of beer and a significant portion of that would be Guinness,” he worried.

The port says truck traffic is at just 15 per cent of normal levels and this affects all kinds of goods being shipped in and out of the province.

Businesses and consumers will eventually see more shortages and prices go up as merchants are forced to pay greater port storage fees.

Speaking at a BC Chamber of Commerce gathering in Vancouver, even Prime Minister Stephen Harper weighed in on the issue.

"We're obviously concerned about this particular labour dispute because we have got to have, you know, major trade and transportation corridors operating and it is not acceptable to have relatively blocking what is important trade for a range of British Columbian and Canadian businesses," he said.

The union says it will stay off the job as long as necessary.

“We’re prepared to be out here for as long as it’s necessary,” said Gavin McGarrigle, B.C. area director of UNIFOR the union representing truckers. “We think that this is a serious situation and it calls for serious answers right away but if needed we’ll be here.”

Oh NO! Not the wine and green beer! Christy is more interested in getting that booze flowing that she is getting some kind of resolution happening with the truckers.

She says its a job for the feds, the feds says its a provincial job ... and neither wants to play the bad guy who legislates them back. Damn elections keep getting in the way and its political suicide to mess with these guys.

So now she's lamenting about all the other loads that will be moved to Seattle to unload, which will be a huge loss to this province. Why didn't they see this coming and get off their tushes to get a resolution before any deadline hit?

http://www.castanet.net/news/BC/110981/ ... ers-strike

Clark wants feds to end truckers' strike
by The Canadian Press | Story: 110981 - Mar 13, 2014 / 7:06 pm


Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Striking container-truck driver Gajjan Bal holds a sign that reads "Traitors Be Ashamed of Yourself" while standing at a picket line as a truck enters Port Metro Vancouver in Vancouver, B.C., on Thursday March 13, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Premier Christy Clark is calling on federal Transport Minister Lisa Raitt to get on a plane right away to resolve a truckers strike that is slowing exports out of Vancouver's port.

"Minister Raitt needs to come to Vancouver, sit down with the truckers and contribute to solving the issue" Clark said Thursday.

"This is an issue of national significance. If we could settle ourselves as a province, we would. We don't have the jurisdiction here. We have to rely on the federal government to do their bit and we urgently, urgently need them to step up and make sure that we get this port open again."

Earlier this week, unionized truckers parked their rigs to back pay demands and joined non-union truckers who walked off the job last month.

Agri-food industry groups say they are worried the dispute could spoil some shipments and hurt Canada's reputation as a reliable exporter.

Clark said federal and B.C. government officials met Wednesday night to come up with a set of proposals to present to the truckers.

She was adamant that most of the proposals deal with issues that are federal responsibilities since the port is federally regulated.

"We are strongly urging the truckers to sit down and look at the proposals and find a way to accept them."

Raitt responded late Thursday in an email statement, saying jobs and the economy were a priority for her government.

"While the labour dispute at the heart of this issue remains a matter of provincial jurisdiction, we are prepared to play a constructive role if it will help ensure that the port of Vancouver is able to resume normal operations."

Raitt appointed well-know mediator Vince Ready last week to look at the dispute and report back by the end of May.

But Raitt said they now have his recommendations, which the government believes will provide all parties with a basis for a path forward.

B.C. Transportation Minister Todd Stone warned that unless there is a quick resolution, the dispute will drive important business away from B.C. to the United States.

"The port is on its knees. We received word this morning that within 24 hours ships will begin to be diverted from the port of Vancouver and will be diverted to Seattle," Stone said in Victoria.

"This is going to strike a very significant blow to not just British Columbia's economy but the Canadian economy."

Gavin McGarrigle of Unifor, which represents the unionized workers, said the province, the federal government, the employers and the port should all be sitting down with the truckers to figure out a way to address the their concerns.

"Every time we've been trying to address this issue, there's finger pointing that goes on between the port saying it's not their issue, the federal government, the provincial government — it's a Canadian issue," said McGarrigle.

"We'd like this finger pointing to stop and get all parties around the table."

Meanwhile, CN Rail has filed an application in BC Supreme Court for an injunction against striking truckers, who the company says are blocking access to a CN container yard in Surrey, southeast of Vancouver.

The company has filed a notice of claim that says striking truckers have blocked or slowed traffic to the C-N facility and in at least one instance intimidated a truck driver. CN points out the dispute has nothing to do with the company.

A spokesmen for the United Truckers Association of B.C., which represents non-unionized truckers, and Unifor each deny their members have done anything wrong.

"We believe we have been acting legally and lawfully and we have been obeying the wishes of the police," said McGarrigle, the Unifor spokesman.

It wasn't clear when the court will rule on CN's application.

[twobits]

I don't believe the gov't can legislate the independent truckers back to work. How do you force a self employed person to work? The port has to get involved in this and set rates instead of maintaining it is an issue between the drivers and their respective trucking company owners.

[Bsuds]

Good thing the trucker with the sign isn't in Quebec. He would be fined for not having it in French.
Funny thing is it's not in English either! Do we need a language law in BC?

I still think if the truckers are not getting enough trips per day and wait times are too long then there are too many trucks.

[Woodenhead]

I've always been against "back to work" legislation unless the ability to prorogue is removed.