Consumers and Smaller Companies Will Feel Pinch of Port Strike, Business Groups Warn

International Longshore and Warehouse Union workers wave at cars driving past while picketing outside of the BC Maritime Employers Association Dispatch Centre after a 72-hour strike notice and no agreement made at the bargaining table, in Vancouver on July 1, 2023. The Canadian Press/Ethan Cairns

The B.C. port workers strike could cost companies hundreds of millions of dollars per week, experts and business groups say, with smaller operators and consumers feeling the biggest pinch.

Industry organizations say the job action by 7,400 waterfront employees that began Saturday will back up shipments, deplete inventories and boost prices on goods in shorter supply.