About 100 dockworker union delegates from Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand rallied outside DP World’s Centerm terminal in Vancouver last month, reported FreightWaves. The protest followed a summit in the city and kicked off an international campaign against automation and AI at ports.
The timing matters for importers routing US-bound cargo through Vancouver and Prince Rupert by rail. British Columbia’s longshore contract expires in March 2027, and automation is expected to be a major issue in negotiations, per FreightWaves.
The protestors support technology that improves safety but oppose automation that cuts jobs, outsources work, expands surveillance or weakens unions. They want new technology negotiated with workers before it is introduced. Delegates included members of ILWU Canada, the US-based ILWU and the International Longshoremen’s Association.
“Dock workers are united and determined to hold the line on destructive automation in our ports, no matter where those ports are,” said Tom Doran, president of ILWU Canada.
DP World’s expansion of Centerm increased capacity to 1.5 million TEU from 900,000. The terminal now has five semi-autonomous rail-mounted gantry cranes. Waterfront payroll hours at Centerm rose 59% between 2019 and 2025, according to a KPMG report for the BC Maritime Employers Association.
Ottawa also introduced Bill C-39 last month. The bill would require the jobs minister to declare a dispute a threat to “national interest” before using Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to intervene. Ottawa has used Section 107 to end stoppages at BC ports and the CN and CPKC railways.
