CBSA work-to-rule action backed up trucks for hours before a quick deal
In August 2021, customs officers' job action led to waits of up to five hours at the Ambassador Bridge, until a tentative agreement ended it that night.
On Aug. 6, 2021, a work-to-rule campaign by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers caused long delays for trucks entering Canada, before the union and the federal government reached a tentative deal late that night.
Frontline customs officers are deemed essential and cannot walk off the job, so there were no picket lines. Instead, the union said officers would work to the "letter of the law."
Delays at the Ambassador Bridge
At the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ont., inbound wait times for trucks grew through the day. By mid-afternoon there were reports of waits as long as five hours, with trucks backed up as far as 10 miles along Interstate 75.
Drivers described:
- questioning at the booth taking 10 to 15 minutes instead of the usual two to three
- joining the line late in the morning and clearing only in mid-afternoon
- in one case, an employer pausing cross-border runs for the time being
The general manager of Windsor's Morrice Transportation said the dispute would cause problems for just-in-time deliveries. Stellantis Canada, which relies on just-in-time parts deliveries for its Windsor and Brampton assembly plants, said it had seen no production impact at that point.
The tentative four-year agreement, reached late on Aug. 6, ended the job action after a single day.