Montreal Longshoremen Approve New Six-Year Contract

Union longshoremen at the Port of Montreal endorsed a new six-year collective agreement with the harbor shippers association, in a Feb. 20 vote, said the Canadian Union of Public Employees. The new contract was approved by 56% of the members, in a vote two months after the old contract expired. "Never in the history of our working relationship we managed to reach an agreement so quickly," said Denis Wolfe, president of the Longshoremen Port of Montreal. The new agreement provides wage increases of 1% for the first year, 2% for the next four years and a maximum of 2% to 3% CPI for the last year, the union said.