Strike could choke border traffic in Sarnia

SARNIA, Ont. — Thousands of trucks trying to cross the Blue Water Bridge at Sarnia, Ont. next week may be slowed to a crawl.

The Globe & Mail reports that toll collectors, maintenance workers, custodial staff and currency exchange tellers at the Sarnia-Port Huron border crossing will vote on Tuesday whether to walk off the job.

If trucks attempt to skip the Blue Water (above) during a strike, than
the nearby Ambassador could be
overwhelmed.

If the workers, who are represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada, reject the latest offer by the Blue Water Bridge Authority (which includes a 25-percent pay cut for new hires), than they can legally go on strike at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday.

BWB Authority President Chuck Chrapko says existing employees are affected by the reduced wage scales, and the cost reductions could stregnthen their job security in the future. The authority also offered bonuses of $1,300 for full-time workers and $900 for part-time for the first year, followed by an increase of 3 percent a year for the final three years.

A strike would likely halt traffic at the border crossing, which, after the Ambassador Bridge in nearby Windsor, is the second busiest in Ontario. The bridge is used by 9,000 cars and about 6,000 transport trucks a day.

The Ambassador, which these days can get overwhelmed with U.S.-bound shoppers looking for deals south of the border, would likely have to handle an influx of cars and trucks trying to avoid the Blue Water.

The union is urging unionized truck drivers not to use the bridge in the event of a strike.

— with files from the Globe & Mail