Delay at Windsor-Detroit border despite CBSA strike action on hold

The Canada Border Service Agency is experiencing longer than normal delays at the Windsor-Detroit border, despite strike action being put on hold until next week.

Public Service Alliance of Canada posted on social media Friday afternoon that all strike action by 9,000 CBSA personnel is on hold as mediation will continue until Wednesday. PSAC said picket lines will not be in place until further notice.

The Ambassador Bridge Company said the delay at the Windsor-Detroit crossing is Canada-bound for commercial and auto traffic. The Ambassador Bridge will issue another news release once commercial traffic returns to normal.

US-bound traffic is not affected and there is no delay going to the United States at the bridge.

Updated CBSA wait times can be found online.

The website indicated there were was also high traffic volumes at the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel on Friday afternoon.

The PSAC members who work for the CBSA were prepared to begin striking at 4 p.m. on Friday, but that’s when the union announced it is on hold. The two sides went into mediation on Monday

The union says key issues include pay parity with other law enforcement agencies, remote work options, pension benefits and stronger workplace protections.

The government says 90 per cent of front-line border officers are designated as essential, which means they can’t stop working during a strike.

But union members could use work-to-rule, a tactic where employees do their jobs exactly as outlined in their contracts.

Experts say that could cause each border crossing to take longer than it usually does, which could in turn cause massive disruptions given the volume of traffic that normally moves across the border.

~ A portion of this report was published by The Canadian Press on June 7, 2024.