Port Metro Vancouver businesses file lawsuit against retroactive wages

by Truck West

VANCOUVER, B.C. – Ten Port Metro Vancouver trucking companies have filed suit against the payment of retroactive wages to drivers in the sector, bringing the Office of the British Columbia Container Trucking Commissioner and B.C. government to court.

Unifor, the union representing the employees, said the pay is owed to the drivers and that the suit ‘has no merit’ and that the companies’ actions could threaten stability at Port Metro Vancouver.

Unifor is urging customers to continue conducting business at the port with companies that accept the new minimum rates established by the government.

“Last month at the bargaining table, we achieved long-term labour peace at the port, but these companies would rather drag us back into a bitter fight over wages,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor’s national president. “There is a wage floor that applies equally to all companies, but this lawsuit seeks to take money out of truckers’ pockets. It’s pure greed.”

The companies filing the suit include:

• Aheer Transportation
• Bestlink Transport
• Burton Delivery Service
• Gantry Trucking
• Gur-ish Trucking
• Indian River Transport
• Roadstar Transport
• Sunlover Holding
• Triangle Transportation, and
• T.S.D. Holding Inc.

“Undercutting in this sector has always been a problem and now we see clearly which truck company owners want to continue to drive wages down. Shippers now need to play their part toward stability by refusing to do business with these companies who refuse to treat their drivers fairly,” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor’s B.C. area director. “The provincial government needs to mount a vigorous defense of its own legislation to make sure that truckers receive the full payment of all wages owed.”

The back-and-forth between Port Metro Vancouver companies and employees has been ongoing since 2014 and stems from the contention that drivers were not being paid what they should have been by the respective companies that employed them.

In late November following an audit of several of the port’s container trucking businesses, the Office of the British Columbia Container Trucking Commissioner ruled that the companies were not paying drivers the retroactive rates that was agreed upon in March 2014.


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  • I am a small shipper in the middle of Canada. We send containers across the Pacific ocean all the time, and I remember the trouble at the port last year. People deserve a living wage and I am going to instruct my load brokers not to use any of these 10 listed carriers for any of my frieght.

  • Gavin… That is low.. Commenting in your own opinion. These company owners are hard working competitive individuals. It is attitudes like yours that drive businesses away from B.C. ..just ask you fellow teamsters reps… You are just after dues not a stable drayage sector … Your “pay scheme was mandated NOT negotiated. You may be able to BS your members although you should check yourself when addressing the mainstream public.

  • trucking companies have been taking advantage of drivers and owner operators since the start of trucking. The only people that make money from dropping rates are the customers paying the shipping of the freight. The government needs to regulate the rates
    for the moving of transportation of goods via ground . I’ve never seen anybody argue with ocean shipping rates of containers, or with the airlines and their freight charges. Why is it always the truckers that get screwed by these greedy hypocrites? To the shippers of truck freight if you want good service you have to pay for it ,if you don’t care about your service or quality of it you can always find somebody that will do it cheaper. But always remember the cost of quality oats is always higher than the oats after the horse is done with them……………….