Four-year agreements support greater predictability along a corridor that carried nearly 13 million tonnes of grain in 2025.
Unionized employees of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation have ratified new four-year collective agreements, providing greater labour predictability along a transportation corridor that plays an important role in Canadian and North American agricultural trade.
The agreements cover approximately 320 employees in maintenance and operations, engineering, and supervisory positions. The workers are represented by Unifor locals in Ontario and Quebec and help facilitate vessel movement between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean.
The maintenance and operations agreement was approved by 78 percent of voting members, while the engineering and supervisory agreement received 80 percent support. Unifor said the four-year agreements provide total wage increases of 13 percent.
The previous collective agreement expired on March 31, 2026. The tentative settlement was reached September 16 following several months of negotiations and was subsequently ratified by union members.
Jim Athanasiou, president and CEO of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, said a four-year agreement offers greater stability and predictability for employees, customers, and industries that depend on the waterway. He said the settlement provides a foundation for supporting trade and the long-term competitiveness and resilience of the corridor.
That stability carries particular significance for agriculture.
Official Seaway statistics show that approximately 12.907 million tonnes of grain moved through the system during the 2025 navigation season, an increase of approximately 9.29 percent from 2024. Grain represented about 35 percent of the Seaway’s approximately 36.953 million tonnes of total cargo in 2025.
The Seaway connects the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River with global markets, creating a marine route for moving grain, fertilizer, and other bulk commodities. Earlier Seaway reporting has also highlighted the movement of Canadian and U.S. grain and Prairie-produced potash used in agricultural fertilizer.
For Ontario agriculture, the corridor is an important outlet for grain exports. Grain Farmers of Ontario has previously that shipments of grain travel through the Seaway annually, with shipments serving destinations in Asia, Canada, Europe, South America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East.
The importance of uninterrupted navigation became particularly clear during the October 2023 labour disruption. Unionized employees began strike action on October 22, closing the Seaway to navigation. A tentative agreement was announced October 29, employees returned October 30, and vessel traffic began resuming progressively that day.
At the time, Grain Farmers of Ontario said the disruption stopped grain shipping during a crucial period and demonstrated how quickly transportation interruptions could affect the agricultural export system.
The newly ratified agreements provide greater predictability for customers that depend on the corridor.
For farmers, grain handlers, and exporters, that predictability matters. Reliable transportation helps agricultural businesses meet delivery commitments, manage storage capacity, and maintain access to domestic and international customers.
With the current uncertainty surrounding the US-Canada trade challenges, the ratification represents more than a labour settlement, it adds a measure of stability to a transportation system that moved nearly 13 million tonnes of grain in 2025 and remains closely connected to the competitiveness of Canadian agriculture at a time when the country is pursuing new trade opportunities.
Caption: St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation