Concerns mount ahead of possible job action at Canadian borders

Timarie Marentette is concerned about the potential for long delays at the Canada-U.S. border due to job action — which could start as soon as Friday afternoon unless a deal is reached.

The Windsor, Ont., resident normally crosses the border five days a week for her job as an automotive engineer at Ford in Michigan.

«It's not going to be great,» she said.

«It's already pretty slow at the border, I find a lot of days. It's going to be tough.»

Roughly 9,000 Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) workers will be in a legal strike position at 4 p.m. ET on Friday.

The agency — which falls under the umbrella of the federal government's Treasury Board — has been in mediated talks with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC)-affiliated Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) since Monday. The union voted 96 per cent in favour of job action in May after two years without a deal.

The CIU says there are no updates regarding talks at this time because mediation is ongoing.

«We are still hopeful an agreement can be reached but the clock is ticking if the government wants to avoid any potential delays at Canada's borders,» said CIU spokesperson Pierre St-Jacques.

Because most CBSA employees are essential workers, work-to-rule is a strong possibility, according to some experts.

«A strike can take many forms and we'll see what happens this round. The union leadership will decide on how to proceed based on how things evolve,» said St-Jacques.

Officers 'cannot intentionally slow down border processing'

A CBSA spokesperson says borders and ports of entry will remain open and safe — with 90 per cent of its frontline officers considered essential workers.

«Per the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act, employees in essential services positions