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After failing to agree on wages, hundreds of workers at Canada’s St. Lawrence Seaway have gone on strike. Unifor, their union, cited a substantial gap between what the employees want and what the employer has offered, stating they are “1,000 nautical miles apart.” This strike will impact the St. Lawrence Seaway, temporarily halting the connection between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean.
Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan examines the strike’s repercussions in Canada and explains why strikes are becoming more frequent in North America.
Excerpted from Peter’s Oct. 24 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:
Unifor – a Candian public service union – has declared a strike on the St. Lawrence Seaway (a crucial maritime transport route). This has essentially cut off the direct delivery of seaborne goods from the Canadian interior and will disrupt the entire industrial base.
Strikes like this shouldn’t come as a surprise. With the population in decline, labor shortages will become the status quo. That’s before we mix in policies like the Jones Act, which places added stress on the Canadian system.
As bad as this strike may seem, we’re only looking at the tip of the iceberg. And if employers don’t begin fostering healthier relationships with their workforces…
