Unionized marine engineers aboard Great Lakes freighters took to the picket lines in late November as Canadian shipping companies scrambled to keep sailing. The 150-member Canadian Marine Officers Union walked off the job in a dispute over wages, job security and health and safety issues caused by an industry trend to reduce manning levels, including a reduction in the number of on-board engineers.
Thunder Bay's N.M Paterson was affected, as well as Algoma Central Marine, Canada Steamship Lines, Parish & Hindbecker. The engineers' five-year contract expired in June.
