The union representing some 1,200 longshore workers at the Port of Montreal has overwhelmingly rejected an agreement with its employers’ association, and a lockout at the facility is underway.

A spokesperson for the Canadian Union of Public Employees said members voted 99.7 percent to reject the latest offer.

“The hostile offer was rejected because the employer refused to negotiate,” declared Michel Murray, CUPE union representative, on Sunday evening. “Nothing in the offer reflects the union’s demands.”

He added that if the employer had respected the collective bargaining process, a conflict would have been avoided at the port.

Workers have been without a collective agreement since December 31, 2023.

The Maritime Employers’ Association said in its own statement that it “deplores the negative outcome of the vote” and has no choice but to declare a lockout.

As a result, the employer said dockworkers are locked out as of 9 p.m. Sunday and only essential services and activities unrelated to dockworkers continue at the port.

He asked federal Labor Minister Steve MacKinnon to intervene in the conflict to limit the damage caused to the country’s economy.

“Several economic and maritime players across the country have made the same request in recent weeks to get things moving. Just like the MEA, they all want this dispute to be resolved so that Quebec and Canadian companies can no longer be held hostage and count on predictable and uninterrupted operations at the Port of Montreal,” the association declared.

Workers are now locked out at the country’s two largest ports. Port workers in British Columbia have been locked out since Monday due to an ongoing contract dispute at the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest.

The Port of Montreal, Canada’s second largest port, transports nearly $400 million in goods every day. The Port of Montreal indicated that three terminals would remain operational in the event of a lockout: the Bickerdike terminal, the liquid bulk terminals and the grain terminal.

The Maritime Employers’ Association tabled what it described as a “final and comprehensive offer” on Thursday evening and called on the union to respond by 8 p.m. Sunday whether it would accept the six-year pact. The offer came with a 72-hour lockout notice.

The employer said last week that the offer included a 3 percent salary increase each year for four years and a 3.5 percent increase for the following two years.

These increases would bring the total average remuneration of a longshoreman at the Port of Montreal to more than $200,000 per year at the end of the contract.

The association added that it asks longshoremen to give at least one hour’s notice when they will be absent from a shift – instead of one minute – to help reduce management problems. which have a major effect on daily operations.”

On Friday, a union official said the new offer contained only “cosmetic changes” and did not address scheduling issues, a major flashpoint in negotiations.

The union said it would have no problem putting the latest offer to a vote, but added it was unlikely to be supported because members have already rejected two similar offers in secret ballots.

The union said it would accept the same raises given to its counterparts in Halifax and Vancouver, 20 per cent over four years. It’s also about schedule and work-life balance.

Friday morning, the union and the employers spent two hours with a federal mediator without making any progress.