adplus-dvertising
Connect with us

News

Dispute at B.C. ports may reignite over employers’ push on automation: expert

Published

 on

 

VANCOUVER – An expert says a narrowly averted labour stoppage at British Columbia ports could re-emerge despite federal intervention unless the core issue of automation and its threat to union jobs is addressed.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered on Sunday that the union representing ship and dock foremen at B.C. ports rescind a strike notice against DP World Canada that would have started job action on Monday.

McGill University Associate Prof. Barry Eidlin says while strike action was averted this time, the core issue of automation at the ports remains unaddressed.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 said in June that DP World Canada told the union it was introducing automation in the loading and unloading of cargo containers at its Centerm facility at the Port of Vancouver.

The union has been negotiating with the B.C. Maritime Employers Association on a new collective agreement, and the labour relations board ruled the strike notice was illegal because a strike vote only involved employees of DP World.

Eidlin says if the employers don’t work with the union on finding a palatable solution, it would not be surprising for the local to reach a position where it’s members can legally strike, which could come “in a few weeks or a few months.”

“Forcing workers back to work or trying to restrain their Charter-protected right to strike is not going to resolve the underlying issues,” Eidlin says.

DP World Canada referred a request for comment to its employers association, which declined to make a statement because the automation issue will be heard by the Canada Industrial Relations Board at hearings resuming on Aug. 6.

The maritime employers had issued what it called a “defensive action” in response to Local 514’s strike notice, threatening to lockout all of the union’s members at companies represented by the association if the strike against DP World Canada went ahead.

The industry-wide lockout notice across at B.C.’s ports was rescinded following the board’s decision on the strike notice against DP World Canada.

Strike action in 2023 by thousands of workers shut down most of B.C.’s ports for 13 days, freezing billions in trade at the docks.

Eidlin says the persisting tensions at B.C. ports between employers and workers appear to be a continuation of animosity from last year’s dispute between the employers and the longshore union.

Eidlin says both the strike last year and the current labour dispute have shown port employers are taking a “more aggressive” tone with the unions, which are historically willing to threaten job action and may be viewed by some as “combative.”

He says if the union’s allegation that DP World was “unilaterally” imposing work conditions without consulting workers is true, the local’s decision to issue a strike notice may have been seen as “the only option they have available.”

“These are life-or-death issues both in terms of the substance, in the sense that port automation is a core issue that is going to have dramatic effects on workers’ lives … and in terms of the form, in the sense that allowing employers to implement unilateral changes in working conditions is a grave violation of core principles of how collective bargaining should work.”

Liam McHugh-Russell, an assistant professor at Dalhousie University, agrees that another strike notice in the ongoing labour dispute is possible if the core questions of automation aren’t addressed between employers and employees.

But he says he isn’t worried about the tone of labour relations deteriorating at B.C. ports, as the strike and lockout notices are an indication that the negotiation process is working as intended.

“The union is specifically concerned about the practices of one employer, but given the structure of the bargaining relationship and the structure of the (labour code), it’s not within their power to bargain or negotiate directly with that single employer,” McHugh-Russell says.

“Given the issue is with one employer, it makes sense that they may give that a try,” he says of the latest strike notice. “They were pushing against the boundaries of the (labour code) … and certainly, there was significant risk of disruption.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

News

Canucks winger Joshua to miss training camp following cancer diagnosis

Published

 on

Vancouver Canucks winger Dakota Joshua has announced he’ll miss the start of training camp following surgery for testicular cancer.

Joshua said in a statement posted to social media by the team Tuesday that he felt a lump on one of his testicles this summer and later had surgery to successfully remove the tumour.

The 28-year-old from Dearborn, Mich., said he plans on returning to play “as soon as possible” and is “working hard every day” to rejoin his teammates.

Joshua said the last several weeks have been “extremely challenging” and encouraged men to get checked regularly for testicular cancer.

The six-foot-three, 206-pound forward had a career-high 18 goals and 14 assists in 63 games for the Canucks last season and signed a new four-year, US$13-million deal with Vancouver at the end of June.

The Canucks are set to open their training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

News

Toronto FC faces tough challenge as defending MLS champion Columbus comes to town

Published

 on

TORONTO – Coach John Herdman isn’t putting too much stock in the fact that Toronto FC, since losing 4-0 in Columbus on July 6, has posted a better league record than the defending MLS champion.

Toronto, which beat visiting Austin 2-1 on Saturday, has won four of six league outings (4-2-0) since that setback at Lower.com Field while the Crew are 3-2-2.

“I don’t put any credence (in that),” said Herdman. “I just look at their squad and I salivate.”

Its easy to see why.

Columbus provided a league-high five players to the MLS all-star game on its home field in July in defenders Rudy Camacho and Steven Moreira, midfielder/captain Darlington Nagbe and forwards Cucho Hernandez and Diego Rossi.

Herdman sees layers of talent behind those all-stars.

“You see the way that they’re able to almost carbon-copy players. One comes in, another goes out … and they feel like they have a very similar profile. So to be able to take (Christian) Ramirez out and then bring (Canadian forward Jacen) Russell-Rowe in as a power forward, you look and go ‘Whoa, that’s good to have.'”

Federico Bernardeschi was Toronto’s lone all-star.

Columbus (14-5-8) comes to BMO Field on Wednesday in third place in the Eastern Conference, five places and 14 points ahead of Toronto (11-15-3). A playoff position already clinched, the Crew are hoping to leapfrog Cincinnati into second spot.

Coach Wilfried Nancy is looking forward to matching wits against Herdman.

“John is going to cook (up) something,” the Frenchman said with a belly laugh. “I know John. When we played a game in (the) pre-season, it wasn’t a pre-season game. It was a real game. But this is John. That’s why I like him, because he’s intense all the time.”

“They’re going to try to go all-in. They’re going to try to press us, they’re going to try to match us,” he added. “They know exactly the way we want to play so we’ll have to be clever and creative also.”

Herdman, meanwhile, says TFC will have to play error-free football.

While the Crew have failed to score in their last two outings (a 4-0 loss to visiting Seattle and 0-0 draw at rival FC Cincinnati), Toronto is hurting in its backline.

Nicksoen Gomis and Henry Wingo both left the Austin game early with hamstring injuries with Herdman estimating that Gomis will be out three to four weeks and Wingo 10-12 days. Veteran Kevin Long missed the Austin game after tweaking his hamstring in training and will undergo a fitness test ahead of the game.

Shane O’Neill, meanwhile, is suspended for yellow-card accumulation.

“A tricky situation,” said Herdman.

The Crew are a formidable opponent.

Columbus is tied with Real Salt Lake for fifth in the league in averaging 1.93 goals a game. Only Inter Miami (2.32), Portland Timbers (2.00), Los Angeles Galaxy (1.97) and Colorado Rapids (1.96) score more.

And Columbus boasts the league’s stingiest defence, conceding 1.04 goals a game. In contrast, the Toronto defence is tied for 22nd at 1.76 goals a game.

Toronto has conceded 51 goals, 23 more than Columbus, which has collected more points (7-3-4, 25 points) on the road in league play this season than Toronto has at home (7-7-0, 21 points).

Columbus’ roster also includes Canadian wingback Mo Farsi, who scored in the July win over Toronto.

The Columbus game is the first of four in an 11-day stretch that will see TFC club visit Colorado on Saturday, Vancouver on Sept. 25 in the Canadian Championship final and Chicago on Sept. 28. Toronto will then close out the regular season at home to the New York Red Bulls on Oct. 2 and Inter Miami on Oct. 5.

If the playoffs were to start tomorrow, Toronto would face ninth-place D.C. United in a wild-card matchup with the winner advancing to take on the East’s top seed — currently Miami — in the best-of-three first round.

Herdman would like a different scenario, with his eyes set on overtaking seventh-place Charlotte, which has two points and a game in hand over Toronto. The seventh-place side takes on No. 2 — currently Cincinnati — in the first round.

“We’re looking up, not down at the moment,” said Herdman. “It’s a good motivation for the lads to see that next level on the table. And it has been raised. If we’re able to get to that point, it means you’re not headed down to Miami in the heat, which is a tough place to go.”

“We’ll take whatever comes,” he added. “But the critical part is to get into these playoffs. That’s the key mission at the moment.”

Toronto has not made the post-season since 2020 when, after finishing second overall in the Supporters’ Shield standings, it was upset by Nashville after extra time at the first hurdle.

Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform, formerly known as Twitter

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024

Note to readers: r



Source link

Continue Reading

News

Dolphins place Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve after latest concussion

Published

 on

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins placed Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve Tuesday after the quarterback was diagnosed with his third concussion in two years.

Tagovailoa will be sidelined for at least four games. He will be eligible to return in Week 8 when the Dolphins host Arizona, but has to complete a series of tests and assessments required by the NFL’s concussion protocol before he can return to the field.

Tagovailoa was hurt last Thursday night when he collided with Buffalo defensive back Damar Hamlin. He ran for a first down and then initiated the contact by lowering his shoulder into Hamlin instead of sliding.

Players from both teams immediately motioned that Tagovailoa was hurt, and as he lay on the turf the quarterback exhibited some signs typically associated with a traumatic brain injury. He remained down on the field for a couple of minutes, got to his feet and walked to the sideline. The Dolphins diagnosed him with a concussion a few minutes later.

Coach Mike McDaniel has since cautioned against speculation on the quarterback’s future, stressing that he’s more focused on Tagovailoa getting healthy than what this latest concussion means for the team or for his career. Tagovailoa this week began the process of consulting neurologists about his health amid reports that he has no plans to retire.

Others around the NFL have offered their opinions on Tagovailoa’s future, including Raiders coach Antonio Pierce, who suggested he should retire.

“As far as Tua’s career is concerned, I think it’s an utmost priority of mine for Tua to speak on Tua’s career,” McDaniel said Monday. “Reports are reports. As far as I’m concerned, I’m just worried about the human being and where that’s at day to day. I’ll let Tua be the champion of his own career.”

McDaniel said Tagovailoa was at the team’s practice facility on Monday, greeting teammates and working with trainers.

“He’s doing good, man. Talked to him, he’s in good spirits,” receiver Jaylen Waddle said Monday. “(He’s) got the team in good spirits and everybody praying for him and hoping (for his) health.”

Head injuries have become a familiar, scary occurrence throughout Tagovailoa’s career.

In a September 2022 game against the Bills, he took a hit from linebacker Matt Milano, which caused him to slam to the ground. He appeared disoriented afterward and stumbled as he tried to get to his feet. He was cleared to return to that game and later said it was a back injury that caused the stumble. He was not diagnosed with a concussion.

Four days later, he got hit again during a Thursday night game at Cincinnati in which he was briefly knocked unconscious and was taken off the field on a stretcher. As he lay on the turf, his fingers appeared to display the “fencing response,” an involuntary motion typically associated with a brain injury. That time, he was placed in the concussion protocol.

The NFL and the players’ union made changes to the concussion protocol after those two incidents with Tagovailoa. Players who have problems with balance or stability are now prohibited from returning to a game.

Tagovailoa briefly considered retirement, but instead returned and studied ways to better protect himself on the field, including taking jiu-jitsu classes ahead of the 2023 season.

Tagovailoa has said he spoke to numerous neurologists who told him they did not believe he would be more susceptible to head injuries than any other player moving forward, nor would he be at a higher risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the brain disease associated with repeated blows to the head. He was also diagnosed with a concussion while in college at Alabama.

With Tagovailoa sidelined, the Dolphins will go with backup Skylar Thompson when play at Seattle on Sunday. Miami also signed Tyler Huntley off the Ravens’ practice squad.

___

AP NFL:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending