{"id":826,"date":"2021-12-03T11:46:56","date_gmt":"2021-12-03T16:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mea.ca\/?page_id=826"},"modified":"2025-10-07T09:17:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T14:17:04","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mea.ca\/en\/who-are-we\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About MEA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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MISSION<\/h2>\n

The <\/span>MEA<\/span> is in service of <\/span>its<\/span> members and employees at the ports of <\/span>Montr<\/span>\u00e9<\/span>al<\/span>, <\/span>Contrecoeur<\/span>, <\/span>Trois-Rivi\u00e8res, <\/span>B\u00e9cancour<\/span>, Hamilton and Toronto in their work to ensure the reliability of the Canadian supply chain.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n

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Vision Values<\/h3>\n \"\"\n\n \n\n
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Vision<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Becoming a people-focused, agile, and resilient maritime employer that promotes high-quality standards.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Values<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Courage: be resilient and welcome change by leveraging a solutions-focused approach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Respect: prioritize respectful relationships at all levels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Excellence: be sensitive and strive for excellence through continuous improvement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benevolence: cultivate a people-centered approach focused on mutual cooperation. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What do we do?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The MEA\u2019s mandate is to provide longshoremen and checkers with competitive working conditions, to recruit and train them and to ensure workplace safety, in collaboration with terminal operators. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The MEA ensures optimal workforce dispatch in order to provide top quality vessel transhipment services in key links in the Canadian supply chain including the ports of Montr\u00e9al, Contrec\u0153ur, Trois-Rivi\u00e8res, B\u00e9cancour, Hamilton and Toronto. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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History<\/h2>\n

Conditions for longshore workers were difficult in the 1960s: unreliable work hours and income, almost no health and safety protections for workers, restrictive shift assignment practices. To further complicate the situation, there were many employers in the ports.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, before the advent of containers, loading and unloading ships was arduous physical labour because the merchandise was distributed on palettes or crates that had to be handled.<\/p>\n

The Commission Picard<\/em> established to study the situation published a report in 1967 that established the basis for contemporary port operations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n

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1969<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

The Maritime Employers Association (MEA) was established by the Canadian government in 1969 in response to this publication. Entities were created to better manage work relations between shipping companies and port employees. MEA was designated as industry representative to act on behalf of the industry with workers. The terms and conditions are found in Section\u202f34 of the Canada Labour Code<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, MEA hires, deploys and trains port workers in addition to negotiating collective agreements. It is the employer of longshore workers and checkers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The creation of this not-for-profit organization allowed some groups of port workers to benefit from guaranteed income despite the irregular schedules that are unavoidable in the maritime industry. It also enabled deployment according to fairly restrictive collective agreements, and a hiring process where it shares the selection process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For employers, MEA makes it possible to retain a pool of qualified employees available year round based on various needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A modern Harbour Training Center<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MEA established its Harbour Training Center in 1995 in response to industry needs. The maritime worker profession has changed significantly since loading and unloading palettes; workers now use heavy machinery and massive cranes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why the Center equipped itself with a cutting-edge simulator and has machinery to train workers from their early days and throughout their careers at MEA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, MEA is a modern organization focused on innovating to continue serving its members in a constantly evolving industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also plays a critical role in the Qu\u00e9bec, Canadian and North American supply chain because nearly 85% of everything consumed in these markets transits through the Port of Montr\u00e9al alone, representing a market of 110 million people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our longshore workers and checkers are the backbone of this logistical chain and their work is essential to its fluidity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Maritime Employers Association is active in the ports of Montr\u00e9al, Contrec\u0153ur, Trois-Rivi\u00e8res, B\u00e9cancour, Hamilton and Toronto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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55th Anniversary<\/h2>\n

Did you know that this year the MEA is celebrating 55 years at the heart of the maritime industry?<\/p>\n

See our video capsules covering the different decades.<\/p>\n

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MEMBERS MEMBERS<\/h3>\n \"\"\n\n \n\n

OUR MEMBERS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Category 1<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Ship owners, operators or agents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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