Lockout of longshore workers closes Port of Montreal terminals

Lockout of longshore workers closes Port of Montreal terminals. The disruption ran from 2024-11-10 (10 November 2024) to 2024-11-16 (16 November 2024), 7 days, affecting Montreal. Montreal averaged 2.9 calls per day during the event window against an expected 4.0 (-28.6%). Montreal averaged 0.6 calls per day during the event window against an expected 1.1 (-0.6).

Key facts

Started
2024-11-10 (10 November 2024)
Ended
2024-11-16 (16 November 2024)
Status
ended
Severity
2 Moderate
Scope
port
Chokepoints
None
Lanes
None
Countries
Canada
Confidence
high: The lockout, the labour board order and the resumption time come from the employers' association's own dated updates and the union's statement, with consistent reporting by CBC News and a trade outlet.
First reported
2024-11-10 (10 November 2024)
  • Severity basis: Port wide stoppage of 24 hours to seven days; longshore work at the Port of Montreal stopped from 21:00 on 2024-11-10 until terminals restarted at 07:00 on 2024-11-16.

What happened

On 2024-11-10 (10 November 2024) the Maritime Employers Association locked out about 1,200 longshore workers at the Port of Montreal from 21:00, after members of Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 375 voted 99.7 percent against what the association called its final offer. Container handling stopped, while the port authority said the Bickerdike, liquid bulk and grain terminals would keep working. The lockout followed an overtime strike from 2024-10-10 and an open ended strike at the two Termont terminals from 2024-10-31. On 2024-11-12 the federal labour minister directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order operations to resume and to impose binding arbitration. Work restarted at 07:00 on 2024-11-16 (16 November 2024) under a board order.

Measured effect

Port calls, Montreal

Baseline (expected)
4.0 calls per day
Observed
2.9 calls per day
Change
-1.1 (-28.6%)
Standardised score
-0.6
Event window
2024-11-10 to 2024-11-16 (7 days)
Baseline window
2024-09-08 to 2024-11-02 (56 valid days)
Method
wfm-effect-1.0
Computed
2026-09-16 (16 September 2026), data revision 1:06ff8573d3c2
Port calls, MontrealPort calls, Montreal, 2024-09-01 (1 September 2024) to 2024-12-28 (28 December 2024): values ranged from 0 calls per day on 2024-09-12 to 11 calls per day on 2024-12-20, with a mean of 3.8 calls per day. The latest value, for 2024-12-28, was 3 calls per day. The shaded band marks the event window, 2024-11-10 to 2024-11-16.035810132024-09-012024-10-302024-12-28
Port calls, Montreal, 2024-09-01 (1 September 2024) to 2024-12-28 (28 December 2024): values ranged from 0 calls per day on 2024-09-12 to 11 calls per day on 2024-12-20, with a mean of 3.8 calls per day. The latest value, for 2024-12-28, was 3 calls per day. The shaded band marks the event window, 2024-11-10 to 2024-11-16.

Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms. Retrieved 2026-11-10 (10 November 2026).

Port calls, Montreal (calls per day).
Datecalls per day
2024-09-011
2024-09-022
2024-09-035
2024-09-041
2024-09-052
2024-09-067
2024-09-075
2024-09-081
2024-09-092
2024-09-103
2024-09-114
2024-09-120
2024-09-138
2024-09-144
2024-09-154
2024-09-164
2024-09-174
2024-09-182
2024-09-198
2024-09-204
2024-09-211
2024-09-223
2024-09-234
2024-09-246
2024-09-251
2024-09-263
2024-09-275
2024-09-283
2024-09-296
2024-09-304
2024-10-016
2024-10-025
2024-10-037
2024-10-045
2024-10-050
2024-10-063
2024-10-073
2024-10-086
2024-10-093
2024-10-105
2024-10-113
2024-10-124
2024-10-130
2024-10-144
2024-10-155
2024-10-162
2024-10-175
2024-10-185
2024-10-195
2024-10-204
2024-10-212
2024-10-222
2024-10-230
2024-10-245
2024-10-254
2024-10-262
2024-10-273
2024-10-287
2024-10-298
2024-10-303
2024-10-315
2024-11-018
2024-11-023
2024-11-030
2024-11-046
2024-11-054
2024-11-061
2024-11-073
2024-11-084
2024-11-091
2024-11-104
2024-11-112
2024-11-122
2024-11-130
2024-11-144
2024-11-154
2024-11-164
2024-11-175
2024-11-188
2024-11-197
2024-11-201
2024-11-213
2024-11-222
2024-11-236
2024-11-244
2024-11-254
2024-11-265
2024-11-273
2024-11-282
2024-11-296
2024-11-304
2024-12-016
2024-12-024
2024-12-034
2024-12-044
2024-12-057
2024-12-063
2024-12-074
2024-12-082
2024-12-094
2024-12-103
2024-12-112
2024-12-123
2024-12-135
2024-12-140
2024-12-153
2024-12-166
2024-12-173
2024-12-189
2024-12-194
2024-12-2011
2024-12-212
2024-12-221
2024-12-236
2024-12-243
2024-12-251
2024-12-263
2024-12-273
2024-12-283

This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.

Container ship port calls, Montreal

Baseline (expected)
1.1 calls per day
Observed
0.6 calls per day
Change
-0.6 (percent omitted, baseline too small)
Standardised score
-0.6
Event window
2024-11-10 to 2024-11-16 (7 days)
Baseline window
2024-09-08 to 2024-11-02 (56 valid days)
Method
wfm-effect-1.0
Computed
2026-09-16 (16 September 2026), data revision 1:5ddc44278462
Container ship port calls, MontrealContainer ship port calls, Montreal, 2024-09-01 (1 September 2024) to 2024-12-28 (28 December 2024): values ranged from 0 calls per day on 2024-09-04 to 4 calls per day on 2024-09-03, with a mean of 1.2 calls per day. The latest value, for 2024-12-28, was 3 calls per day. The shaded band marks the event window, 2024-11-10 to 2024-11-16.012342024-09-012024-10-302024-12-28
Container ship port calls, Montreal, 2024-09-01 (1 September 2024) to 2024-12-28 (28 December 2024): values ranged from 0 calls per day on 2024-09-04 to 4 calls per day on 2024-09-03, with a mean of 1.2 calls per day. The latest value, for 2024-12-28, was 3 calls per day. The shaded band marks the event window, 2024-11-10 to 2024-11-16.

Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms. Retrieved 2026-11-10 (10 November 2026).

Container ship port calls, Montreal (calls per day).
Datecalls per day
2024-09-011
2024-09-021
2024-09-034
2024-09-040
2024-09-051
2024-09-062
2024-09-071
2024-09-081
2024-09-091
2024-09-103
2024-09-112
2024-09-120
2024-09-131
2024-09-140
2024-09-151
2024-09-162
2024-09-172
2024-09-181
2024-09-192
2024-09-201
2024-09-210
2024-09-221
2024-09-231
2024-09-242
2024-09-250
2024-09-260
2024-09-271
2024-09-282
2024-09-290
2024-09-302
2024-10-012
2024-10-022
2024-10-031
2024-10-042
2024-10-050
2024-10-061
2024-10-072
2024-10-082
2024-10-091
2024-10-102
2024-10-111
2024-10-120
2024-10-130
2024-10-142
2024-10-152
2024-10-160
2024-10-171
2024-10-181
2024-10-191
2024-10-201
2024-10-212
2024-10-221
2024-10-230
2024-10-242
2024-10-251
2024-10-262
2024-10-270
2024-10-281
2024-10-294
2024-10-301
2024-10-310
2024-11-012
2024-11-020
2024-11-030
2024-11-042
2024-11-050
2024-11-060
2024-11-070
2024-11-081
2024-11-090
2024-11-101
2024-11-111
2024-11-120
2024-11-130
2024-11-140
2024-11-151
2024-11-161
2024-11-172
2024-11-181
2024-11-193
2024-11-200
2024-11-213
2024-11-221
2024-11-231
2024-11-241
2024-11-251
2024-11-261
2024-11-271
2024-11-281
2024-11-291
2024-11-301
2024-12-012
2024-12-022
2024-12-031
2024-12-042
2024-12-051
2024-12-061
2024-12-071
2024-12-081
2024-12-092
2024-12-101
2024-12-111
2024-12-122
2024-12-131
2024-12-140
2024-12-151
2024-12-162
2024-12-171
2024-12-183
2024-12-192
2024-12-202
2024-12-210
2024-12-220
2024-12-232
2024-12-241
2024-12-250
2024-12-263
2024-12-270
2024-12-283

This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.

Replay

Replay: Port calls, MontrealPort calls, Montreal, 2024-09-11 (11 September 2024) to 2024-12-10 (10 December 2024): values ranged from 0 calls per day on 2024-09-12 to 8 calls per day on 2024-09-13. The shaded band marks the event window, 2024-11-10 to 2024-11-16.024682024-09-112024-12-10
Port calls, Montreal, 2024-09-11 (11 September 2024) to 2024-12-10 (10 December 2024): values ranged from 0 calls per day on 2024-09-12 to 8 calls per day on 2024-09-13. The shaded band marks the event window, 2024-11-10 to 2024-11-16.

Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms. Retrieved 2026-11-10 (10 November 2026).

Port calls, Montreal (calls per day), daily values shown in the replay.
Datecalls per day
2024-09-114
2024-09-120
2024-09-138
2024-09-144
2024-09-154
2024-09-164
2024-09-174
2024-09-182
2024-09-198
2024-09-204
2024-09-211
2024-09-223
2024-09-234
2024-09-246
2024-09-251
2024-09-263
2024-09-275
2024-09-283
2024-09-296
2024-09-304
2024-10-016
2024-10-025
2024-10-037
2024-10-045
2024-10-050
2024-10-063
2024-10-073
2024-10-086
2024-10-093
2024-10-105
2024-10-113
2024-10-124
2024-10-130
2024-10-144
2024-10-155
2024-10-162
2024-10-175
2024-10-185
2024-10-195
2024-10-204
2024-10-212
2024-10-222
2024-10-230
2024-10-245
2024-10-254
2024-10-262
2024-10-273
2024-10-287
2024-10-298
2024-10-303
2024-10-315
2024-11-018
2024-11-023
2024-11-030
2024-11-046
2024-11-054
2024-11-061
2024-11-073
2024-11-084
2024-11-091
2024-11-104
2024-11-112
2024-11-122
2024-11-130
2024-11-144
2024-11-154
2024-11-164
2024-11-175
2024-11-188
2024-11-197
2024-11-201
2024-11-213
2024-11-222
2024-11-236
2024-11-244
2024-11-254
2024-11-265
2024-11-273
2024-11-282
2024-11-296
2024-11-304
2024-12-016
2024-12-024
2024-12-034
2024-12-044
2024-12-057
2024-12-063
2024-12-074
2024-12-082
2024-12-094
2024-12-103

This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.

Timeline

  1. An open ended strike begins at the two Termont terminals at 11:00, following an overtime strike across the port from 2024-10-10. [s1]
  2. The employers' association submits what it calls its final offer and sets a deadline of 20:00 on 2024-11-10 for a reply. [s1] [s3]
  3. Members vote 99.7 percent to reject the offer and the association locks out longshore workers from 21:00. The port authority says the Bickerdike, liquid bulk and grain terminals stay open. [s3] [s5]
  4. The federal labour minister directs the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order that operations resume at the ports and to impose final and binding arbitration. [s6]
  5. The labour board orders operations at the Port of Montreal to resume at 07:00 on 2024-11-16, with work assignments issued the evening before. [s1]
  6. Longshore workers return at 07:00 at all terminals. The port authority says clearing the goods waiting at the port and in transit will take weeks. [s4]

Cause

The employers' association locked out longshore workers after members of Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 375 rejected its final offer, in a dispute over pay and scheduling that had run since the collective agreement expired on 2023-12-31. The union said the association would not negotiate and had sought government intervention instead. Attributed by: Maritime Employers Association and Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 375. [s1] [s3] [s5]

Resolution

2024-11-16 (16 November 2024): After the federal labour minister directed binding arbitration, the Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered operations to resume and longshore work restarted at 07:00 on 2024-11-16 at all Port of Montreal terminals, with the previous agreement extended. [s1] [s4] [s6]

Corrections

No corrections to this record as of 2026-09-16 (16 September 2026).

Sources

  1. [s1] Maritime Employers Association, 2024 Negotiation updates, published 2024-11-25 (25 November 2024), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (official)
  2. [s3] CBC News, Port of Montreal lockout underway after dockworkers overwhelmingly vote to reject employer offer, published 2024-11-10 (10 November 2024), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (press)
  3. [s4] CBC News, Operations to resume at Port of Montreal Saturday after government orders end to lockout, published 2024-11-15 (15 November 2024), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (press)
  4. [s5] gCaptain, Montreal Port Locks Out Dockworkers, Adding To Canada's Supply-Chain Woes, published 2024-11-11 (11 November 2024), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (press)
  5. [s6] CBC News, Labour minister sends ports dispute to binding arbitration, orders end to lockouts, published 2024-11-12 (12 November 2024), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (press)

Cite this record

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Plain text

World Freight Monitor. "Lockout of longshore workers closes Port of Montreal terminals." Last updated 2026-09-16 (16 September 2026). https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2024/longshore-lockout-montreal-2024/

APA

World Freight Monitor. (2026). Lockout of longshore workers closes Port of Montreal terminals. World Freight Monitor. https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2024/longshore-lockout-montreal-2024/

BibTeX

@misc{wfm_longshore_lockout_montreal_2024,
  author = {{World Freight Monitor}},
  title = {Lockout of longshore workers closes Port of Montreal terminals},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Last updated 2026-09-16},
  url = {https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2024/longshore-lockout-montreal-2024/}
}