A labor researcher expressed hope that the federal government would not rush to intervene in the British Columbia port dispute, even if union members reject a preliminary deal with employers today.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union in Canada is set to conclude its two-day voting at 6 PM today, Friday, after a tumultuous period that included a 13-day shutdown of more than 30 port terminals and other sites last month.

Barry Edlin, an assistant professor at McGill University, hopes that the federal government will allow the dispute to be resolved at the bargaining table, regardless of the voting outcome.

He added, "The possibility of federal intervention represents a 'regression to a bygone era' when basic workers' rights were not respected.

The preliminary contract between the union and the British Columbia Marine Employers Association was announced on Sunday, a day after Federal Labor Minister Seamus O'Regan directed the Canadian Industrial Relations Board to impose a deal or binding arbitration if he determined that a negotiated solution was not possible.

Union leaders clarified that the main concerns of the workers relate to automation and contracting out maintenance work, both of which pose fundamental challenges to the future of port jobs.

The strike ended from July 1 to 13 when a previous preliminary agreement was reached, but union members rejected it in a vote on July 28, leading to O'Regan's order for the Industrial Relations Board to intervene.