Canadian border workers to strike on August 6, three days before relaxing border restrictions

According to CP24, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and its Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) said they submitted a strike notice to the government on Tuesday.

According to a public interest commission report, wages are the issue. In line with 50 recent settlements in the public service, their employer posed 2.8, 2.2, and 1.5 percent increases in the first three years of a settlement.

However, union members are demanding an additional 4.4 percent, arguing that that’s comparable to Royal Canadian Mounted Police earnings. The employer rejected the comparison. Other issues include a guarantee no officer will work alone, reducing on-the-job harassment, and providing sufficient time for employees to practice with firearms.

It remains unclear what the union's strategy will be, but Canada has more than 1200 entry points across the country that could be impacted. Canadian border officials informed the public to expect long lineups and delays at the border crossings and airports.

PSAC and CIU agreed that demonstrators have the right to strike as of August 6 — three days before Canada reopens its borders to vaccinated US travellers. Fully vaccinated Americans can visit without quarantining starting August 9. The federal government will also allow other fully vaccinated foreign travellers to visit for non-essential reasons.