A lockout at the Port of Montreal began Sunday night. The CEO of the Montreal Port Authority says if the dispute between dockworkers and the Maritime Employers' Association drags on, it will have disastrous consequences for the economy.

Longshoring activity at the Port of Montreal is set to grind to a halt as an employers’ group locks out 1,200 union members.

The longshore workers rejected the deal by a margin of 99.7 per cent. The Maritime Employers Association (MEA) followed through Sunday night on a pledge to lock out 1,200 longshore workers after those workers voted by a huge margin to reject a “final and comprehensive” contract offer from management.

The employers' association at the Port of Montreal has issued the dockworkers' union a "final, comprehensive offer," threatening to lock out workers at 9 p.m. Sunday if a deal isn't reached.

Terminal operators and ocean carriers on Sunday locked out striking dockworkers at the Port of Montreal after the union said the contract proposal doesn’t address scheduling or automation concerns.

The union representing some 1,200 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal has overwhelmingly rejected a deal with their employers association, and a lockout

This lockout affects not only the 1,200 longshoremen directly impacted by the work stoppage, but it also impacts over 10,000 workers in the logistics sector, from trucking and railway employees to maritime agents and pilots.