Unionised employees of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation have ratified new four-year collective agreements, bringing labour predictability to a waterway that matters to Canadian and North American grain trade. The deals cover about 320 workers in maintenance and operations, engineering and supervisory jobs, represented by Unifor locals in Ontario and Quebec.

The maintenance and operations agreement was approved by 78 percent of voting members and the engineering and supervisory agreement by 80 percent. Unifor said the agreements give total wage increases of 13 percent. The previous agreement expired on 31 March 2026; a tentative settlement was reached on 16 September after months of talks.

Official Seaway figures show about 12.907 million tonnes of grain moved through the system in the 2025 navigation season, up about 9.29 percent from 2024 and roughly 35 percent of the Seaway's 36.953 million tonnes of total cargo. The route links the Great Lakes to the Atlantic and also carries fertiliser, including Prairie potash.

The last disruption showed the stakes: a strike closed the Seaway from 22 October 2023 until a tentative deal on 29 October, and Grain Farmers of Ontario said then that it stopped grain shipping at a crucial time. Seaway chief executive Jim Athanasiou said a four-year agreement brings stability for employees, customers and the industries that depend on the waterway.

Photo: Ad Meskens / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Source: Farms.com