Independent truckers at the Port of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada, have threatened a shutdown because they say a company has violated a wage agreement.

The Container Haulers Assn. wants the port to temporarily suspend the license of Aheer Transportation, which they say violated a wage agreement reached last August after trucker protests virtually shut down the port.
Under the agreement, truckers were to be paid CAN$46 an hour starting Oct. 1, 1999, rather than the flat rate per container they had been getting. The CHA, which represents 350 owner-operators, says that some owner-operators are willing to work on a per-trip basis and are threatening to ruin the agreement.
However, another strike could result in legal challenges. Another group of owner-operators doesn't want to see any job action, and say they will seek a court injunction to keep the port open. A lawyer representing more than two dozen trucking companies says his clients also will seek a court order preventing the protest.
The British Columbia Labour Relations Board eventually declared that last summer's five-week work stoppage was an illegal strike.