A labor dispute that is stalling hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of goods a day at B.C.’s ports is escalating, with the foremen’s union accusing their employers of “threats, intimidation, coercion and interference.”

The allegations were made in an unfair labor practices complaint filed by the International Longshore and Warehouse Association Local 514 against the BC Maritime Employers Association.

The union remained silent as a limited job action launched on Monday was met with a full lockout by the employer, but issued a press release on Thursday claiming the BCMEA had sent a letter directly to members warning of possible repercussions of the “final offer” submitted last week. Rejected.

“BCMEA threatened to remove current terms and conditions from our last collective agreement and instead of following Canada Labor Code rules to negotiate with the union, they forwarded these threats directly to our members,” said Local 514 president Frank Morena. expression.

“Once again, BCMEA is doing everything it can to force the federal government to intervene rather than negotiate a new contract – this is aggressive behavior and we expect our complaints to be acknowledged.”

CTV News reached out to the employer for a response to the complaint late Thursday afternoon but did not immediately receive a response. This article will be updated if a response is received.

Some of the terms the BCMEA threatened to remove include “retroactive application of wages,” “improvement in welfare and other benefits,” and “signing bonus for all ILWU Local 514 members,” the union said.

The labor dispute is disrupting the flow of nearly $800 million worth of goods daily, according to the Business Council of BC, which has called on the federal government to intervene.

Federal Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon said in a social media post that he was “monitoring the dispute closely” and criticized the lack of progress so far, accusing both sides of showing a “lack of urgency” in finding a solution.

No meetings are currently planned between the two sides.

In its latest statement, ILWU Local 514 argued that the BCMEA bears sole responsibility for the massive ongoing disruption to port operations, describing its own escalation into job action as “the least disruptive” possible in its effort to push for a new agreement; Months after the last contract of more than 18 foremen expired in March 2023.

“We tried to limit the labor action to only one employer (DP World) who wanted to maximize automation and eliminate jobs, but the BCMEA objected,” Morena said.

“We took limited labor action – an overtime ban that would have left BC ports still operating – and the BCMEA responded with a full-scale lockout.”