Longshore workers halt work for eight hours to raise awareness of Juneteenth

Longshore workers along the entire Canadian and US west coast have halted work for eight hours to raise awareness of Juneteenth and show solidarity for racial equality and social justice.

Juneteenth honours June 19th, 1865, when Texas slaves were told slavery in the US had been abolished, and the longshore union says marking the day continues its consistent support for anti-racist action.

The shutdown began at 8 a.m. and continues until 4 p.m. affecting all BC ports including Vancouver, the busiest port in Canada, Chemainus, the Ridley terminal in Prince Rupert, and Stewart.

The president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union in Canada, Rob Ashton, says his members are taking part because Canada has also seen racism, from the Komagata Maru incident to missing and murdered women and girls.