BC Ferries CEO faces troubled waters at AGM
Unions to BC Ferries CEO and board: “Stop ignoring the economic benefits of building ferries in BC and commit to building future vessels here.”
VANCOUVER – BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez faced a large crowd of workers in B.C.’s shipbuilding and marine industries, ferry operators and supporters of the Build Them Here Shipbuilding Coalition at the BC Ferry Authority & British Columbia Ferry Services Inc.’s Annual General Meeting. Supporters asked the corporation to commit to building future vessels in B.C.
“We asked BC Ferries a simple question: Will you commit to building the next vessels in Canada? The CEO refused to answer. Ferry workers and coastal communities deserve a clear commitment and a long-term plan to build our ferries here,” said Eric McNeely, provincial president of the BC Ferry & Marine Workers’ Union.
Jimenez took no responsibility for the role BC Ferries played in deciding to offshore the work and made no commitments to building future ferries in British Columbia. He dodged direct questions on accountability for spending billions of dollars offshore during an international trade war.
“The economic case for building ferries in B.C. is clear: $1.5 billion in added GDP, 10,000 person-years of work and over $413 million in government revenues. Will BC Ferries commit to building future ships here at home?” asked Brynn Bourke, Executive Director of the BC Building Trades.
Earlier this week, the Build Them Here coalition issued a letter to both boards and the CEO, demanding answers to ten questions (Read the letter here). The coalition received no response.
Build Them Here is a coalition of more than 15 unions, representing over 7,000 workers in the province’s marine industry including shipbuilders and operators, as well as workers in related industries.
- BC Building Trades
- BC Ferry and Marine Workers Union (BCFMWU)
- BC General Employees Union (BCGEU)
- BC Insulators Local 118
- Boilermakers Lodge 359
- International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) – Northwest District 250
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 213
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 230
- International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 115
- International Longshore Workers Union Canada
- LiUNA 1611
- Marine Workers & Boilermakers Industrial Union (MWBIU) Local 1
- Marine and Shipbuilders CMAW Local 506
- MoveUP
- Sheet Metal Workers Local 280
- Shipyard General Workers’ Federation
- UA Local 170
- UA Local 324
- United Steelworkers District 3
Media Contact: Layne Clark
604-908-0239
lclark@bcbuildingtrades.org
