Ridley Terminals and ILWU reach seven year labour agreement

"Our members have a strong and longstanding commitment to Ridley. In the past few years our members have been frustrated with the lack of progress at RTI on a number of fronts. However, we are very encouraged with the leadership and decisive action taken by RTI's new board, particularly the appointment of a new management team. They have told us that they want to drive the growth of the company. We want to help them achieve that goal for the good of the terminal, our families and the community."-- ILWU local 523 President Ron Coolin responding to the announcement of a labour agreement at the Prince Rupert shipping terminal.

It would seem that the membership are rather happy with the recent change of direction at Ridley Terminals.

Just days after a major shake up at the top of Ridley Terminals, the Board of Directors and negotiators for ILWU Local 523 reached a seven year labour agreement.

Few details were released with the announcement other than the length of the contract which is considered effective from May 26, 2008.

At one time Ridley was one of the last of the non-union shipping terminals in the province, having gone without union representation for eighteen years before the ILWU was able to gain the required number of applicants for unionization. It took a number of twists in the past management/employee situation to lead to the ILWU finding a willing audience to their quest for unionization.

And now with yet another twist at the Prince Rupert coal terminal yet another chapter in labour relations gets created.

From a press release issued today, some of the background on the seven year deal reached between the union and board of directors.

Ridley Terminals and Longshoreman Ratify

Historic 7 Year Collective Agreement
PRINCE RUPERT, BRITISH COLUMBIA

--(Marketwire - June 3, 2008)

- The board of directors of Ridley Terminals Inc. (RTI) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada, Local 523, today announced the ratification of a new collective agreement. The term of the contract is seven years, effective May 26, 2008.

Commenting on the agreement, Ron Coolin, president of Longshoreman's Union Local 523, stated: "Our members have a strong and longstanding commitment to Ridley. In the past few years our members have been frustrated with the lack of progress at RTI on a number of fronts. However, we are very encouraged with the leadership and decisive action taken by RTI's new board, particularly the appointment of a new management team. They have told us that they want to drive the growth of the company. We want to help them achieve that goal for the good of the terminal, our families and the community."

George Dorsey, president and chief operating officer of RTI, stated: "The terminal's employees are a motivated and professional group of people that care deeply about the performance of this operation. We are delighted to have been able to conclude this negotiation quickly. I'm looking forward to working with all employees to provide world-class service to customers."

RTI's chairman, Daniel D. Veniez, said: "Our new board has launched several initiatives to strengthen governance and improve RTI's competitiveness. Everything we are doing is tailored to securing the future of this strategic asset from the community and to return value to the Government of Canada. This agreement is an important step along that path."

Ridley Terminals Inc. is a bulk handling terminal located on Ridley Island in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. It has a capacity of 16.5 million tonnes.