Nametag dispute causes delays at border crossings

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OTTAWA, Ont. — A dispute over nametags was causing delays at the Ambassador Bridge and Blue Water Bridge yesterday, according to the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA).

The disruption was the result of work refusals by several officers at the two ports of entry, who were questioning the health and safety implications of wearing a nametag on their uniform.

“Personalized nametags reflect our commitment to service excellence and reinforce the professionalism and integrity for which CBSA officers are known,” the CBSA said in a release responding to the disruption. “While we are surprised by the extent of the reaction today, every case of a work refusal is treated seriously and immediate steps are taken to resolve the situation.”

Both bridges were reporting delays of 30 to 45 minutes for traffic as of the time of this posting.

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  • Unbelievable! Sure, why not………lets just STOP international trade altogether at these crossings, costing the trucking industry millions in delays and at a time when everyone is already peaking over the not so smooth ramp up of ACI. Just what could have been the health and safety concerns over these nametags that would have elicited such a drastic labour disruption. C’mon, were the name tags made or constructed of a known crcengen? Were the pins rusty? What then? I always thought that it made much more strategic sense to bring public or industry attention to your cause (whatever the cause may be)in a way that would bring about a modicum amount of support. Clealry, things have changed to a much more antagonistic approach. Of course the only problem with this is that the CBSA officers will be hard pressed to find more than a handfull of extremists who would be willing to rally around their cause.

  • It appears these border “service” employees don’t want specific complaints lodged against them by members of the unwashed public. Or do they fear for their safety for fear of reprisal when they are off duty? Do none of them feel confidant enough in their jobs to realize that if they received a compliment, it would be nice for their supervisor to know which of them received it?

  • I think CBSA agents should learn fromt the US border agents. They have always proudly worn their name tags. They are courteous and proffesional when I deal with them. And on top of that, when you need their help with a problem and phone the border office, they will actually answer the phone every time with their name. They are not ashamed of who they are. They are not some number in the system, they are real people!

  • Hey guys just put a number on there shirts.Then if there is a compliment or a complaint they report the officer by number,no problem right?People you are to hard on a great service they do for us.