Canada Border Services Agency employees vote to strike

The members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada working for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) voted 96% in favour of taking job action during strike votes held April 10 to May 23, 2024.

The union and the employer last met at a Public Interest Commission (PIC) hearing April 22. The Commission’s report was released on May 29 and mediation sessions are scheduled to begin June 3 to seek a resolution to the bargaining impasse. The union is in a legal strike position as early as Thursday, June 6 following the release of the report.

In a news release the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat noted that “in the event of strike action, Canadians should know that 90% of front-line border services employees are designated as essential, meaning they must continue providing services during a strike.”

However, once in a a legal strike position, the union will likely begin demonstrations and “work to rule” actions. This would result in clearance disruptions and delays at at Canadian airports, land borders, commercial shipping ports, postal facilities and headquarters locations.