St. Lawrence Seaway labor talks continue

St. Lawrence Seaway labor talks continue Talks are continuing between management of the St. Lawrence Seaway and members of the union that operate locks.
   Canadian lock workers on the St. Lawrence Seaway have authorized their union to strike on 72-hours notice at any time after today if a new contract is not reached.
   “We believe the threat of a strike is diminishing somewhat,” said Andrew Bogora, communications officer for the Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. SLSMC manages the seaway along with the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp.
   A strike would shut down 13 of the 19 locks on the seaway, five between Montreal and Lake Ontario and eight locks in the Welland Canal.
   U.S. workers who operate two locks between Montreal and Ontario as well as four locks at Sault Ste. Marie on the St. Mary’s Falls Canal that link Lake Huron to Lake Superior are not involved in the talks.
   The Canadian authority said there are about 23 ships in the Canadian portion of the seaway.
   Represented by the Canadian Auto Workers union, the workers have been without a contract since April 1.
   Bogora said that because the workers have promised to give 72 hours advance notice, ships would be able to get out of the lock systems if a strike was declared.