WATERFRONT WORKFORCE
Skilled and trained workers ensure safe and efficient waterfront operations
Enhanced Skills for Safe Operations
STRENGTHENING THE WORKFORCE
B.C.’s maritime industry is composed of skilled professionals across a multitude of roles – from longshore workers, to forepersons, tradespeople, management staff, terminal operators, shipping carriers, stevedores, and supply chain partners, who all are responsible for keeping Canada moving forward.
Through the delivery of comprehensive training programs in collaboration with member employers and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), the 91ͬ־ is responsible for ensuring workers have effective and competent skills and well-paying, family-supporting wages. Our commitment to health and safety and training excellence ensures that every worker is equipped with the right skills and knowledge to do their jobs to the best of their abilities.
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Longshore
These 7,400 waterfront workers are represented by International Longshore and Warehouse Union Locals 500, 502, 505, 508, and 519.
Operations
Longshore workers handle cargo loading and unloading at member terminals, ensuring efficient and safe movement of goods including containers, break bulk, liquid bulk, bulk ores, forest products, grain and vehicles. They are also responsible for the timely movement of cargo on cruise ships, which includes baggage for passengers travelling on ships in and out of ports in Vancouver and Vancouver Island.Maintenance
Trade persons perform regular maintenance work on equipment to ensure operational safety and efficiency for the movement of cargo. -
Forepersons
Supervise longshore workers at member terminals throughout B.C. Approximately 730 forepersons are represented by ILWU Local 514 Ship & Dock Foremen.
My91ͬ־ a Gateway to Efficient Port Operations
Efficient, Personalized Access to Essential Resources
Ensuring real-time access to work information and job requirements on the waterfront is critical to keeping B.C.’s ports moving.
The 91ͬ־ is responsible for providing the Vancouver longshore workforce with My91ͬ־ – a digital platform that streamlines access to vital work information, resources and services. This personalized online dashboard is where the workforce can manage their schedules, access training, and work information. Centralizing key information effectively keeps workers connected to the right information, so the right job is filled at the right time to the right terminal site.
Workers can view the current dispatch and declare availability at the My91ͬ־ portal. Password required to access.
Reliable and Timely Labour Allocation
DISPATCH AND WORKFORCE OPERATIONS
The 91ͬ־’s dispatch and workforce operations are responsible for providing a just-in-time workforce, where the right workers are matched with the right job at the right time. Through the use of advanced technology and data, the 91ͬ־ Dispatch Team monitors demand requirements to ensure that employees can be efficiently matched as required while ensuring workers are informed and prepared for each shift.
The 91ͬ־ owns and operates the Vancouver Dispatch Centre, located in Vancouver, B.C. and is responsible for dispatching longshore workers from Local 500 to maritime terminals in the Burrard Inlet, Port of Squamish and Port Moody. The dispatch centres that service New Westminster, Prince Rupert and Vancouver Island terminals are owned and operated by International Longshore and Warehouse Union.
Centralizing Communication Tools
Efficient Access to Valuable Resources
Work on the waterfront changes daily. The 91ͬ־ provides real-time work information on new longshore job positions, which are filled from the 91ͬ־ Dispatch Centre located in Vancouver to longshore workers servicing cargo terminals in the Vancouver and Squamish regions. The 91ͬ־’s dispatch services are responsible for dispatching up to 1,500 workers over three shift shifts every day, 365 days of the year.
The 91ͬ־ Waterfront Training Centre
Advanced Training for a Skilled, Safe Workforce
At the 91ͬ־’s Waterfront Training Centre in Richmond B.C., our members invested more than $35 million to ensure B.C.’s waterfront workforce is equipped with the latest skills and technology to power our ports. Here, longshore workers receive comprehensive training and upskilling, blending classroom-based theory with hands-on practice using computer simulators and real-world equipment.
The programs are developed and delivered in collaboration with member employers and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and cover all aspects of waterfront work. Workers leave prepared, skilled, and ready to contribute to a safe and efficient maritime industry.
