NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — There have been hour-long delays for truck traffic going into Canada on the Peace Bridge and Lewiston-Queenston Bridge.
There have also been long delays for passenger cars in Lewiston on Friday.
All of this is part of the work-to-rule action by Canadian border agents who are fighting for a new contract.
"On Monday, when we open the border to fully vaccinated travelers, they can expect higher scrutiny on them. They can expect their goods to be searched. They can expect their vehicles to be searched," said Rick Savage, first national vice president of the Customs and Immigration Union, which represents border agents in Canada.
2 On Your Side has heard from people who have canceled plans to travel into Canada next week over uncertainty with border wait times.
"My answer to people who would have to suffer through that is, first off, be patient. Second of all, this is the fault of the government," Savage said.
Others are prepping for the possibility of a long wait.
"We’re going to pack our lunches and pack stuff to do. I do have the app to see what the wait time is. If it’s two to three hours, we’ll just keep watching, and if we have to cross in the middle of the night, we’ll cross in the middle of the night," said Cheryl LaRochelle of West Seneca.
LaRochelle plans to get a COVID test Sunday and cross Tuesday with family to check out property in Crystal Beach that they haven’t been to since before the COVID pandemic.
"One of our properties was actually broken into in May," LaRochelle said, adding that nothing was taken and that the person or people who did it have not been caught.
She's eager to get into Canada.
"I have definitely been looking forward to this day. I was ecstatic. That was my motivation for getting the vaccine," LaRochelle said.
As a reminder, if you have plans on crossing, not only do you have to be fully vaccinated and have a negative COVID test, you also have to upload your travel information and documentation on Canada’s ARRIVECan app or website.
Urgent care centers, hospitals, Erie County government, and major pharmacies are offering COVID tests, as well as D’Youville’s Vital Pharmacy on Connecticut Street in Buffalo.
"I think it’s a lot of hoops to jump through for somebody who’s been vaccinated, but I’ll do it because I want to get over there that bad," LaRochelle said.
The Public Service Alliance, which represents certain federal employees in Canada issued an update Friday on negotiation talks saying that its bargaining team has continued to negotiate through Thursday night and all of Friday to try to reach a deal, but nothing has been settled.
Another update is expected before 6 p.m. Friday.
The Customs and Immigration Union has said a strike is possible.
"If we go to a strike, as opposed to a work-to-rule, we would not be collecting duties and taxes. That’s going to affect the government of Canada because I believe over $87 million worth of trade travels between these two countries," Savage said.
The Canada Border Services Agency says in a statement: "The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), as a dynamic and responsive organization that delivers high quality border services, will respond quickly to any job action/work disruption in order to maintain the safety and security of our border, ensure compliance with our laws, and keep the border open to legitimate travelers and goods."
The Treasury Board of Canada has released details on its offer to PSAC:
PSAC agreements for more than 106,000 public servants that provided pay increases of 6.48 per cent over three years, which would translate to salary increases for the majority of front-line border services officers of $5,000, from $82,000 to $87,000, over the course of an agreement.
The Treasury Board adds that a recent agreement for correctional workers, represented by UCCO-SACC, that provided pay increases of 8.1 per cent over four years which would translate to salary increases for the majority of front-line border services officers of almost $7,000, from $82,000 to $89,000, over the course of an agreement.