Two trucking companies serving Vancouver port threaten to strike Friday

Photo: The Canadian Press

Container truck drivers at two companies serving the Port of Vancouver could go on strike later this week.

Unifor says it gave Aheer Transportation and Prudential Transportation notice on Monday that almost 200 drivers will walk off the job this Friday if they aren't offered better employment terms.

The union says the workers are requesting better health, dental, and insurance benefits for all drivers, along with increased payments for time spent waiting for their trucks to be loaded and unloaded.

Unifor says the strike would impact about 170 trucks or about 10 per cent of the vehicles servicing the Port of Vancouver.

The union says a strike would threaten Canada's overall port stability at a time when B.C.'s supply chain is facing increasing pressure after recent storms flooded many transport routes in the province.

Despite the pressures, Unifor insists both companies' business is booming and there is room to compensate workers accordingly.