The strike by 47 employees at the Blue Water Bridge, now into its third week, was raised in the House of Commons Monday.
Windsor West MP Brian Masse says drivers are using the privately owned Ambassador Bridge, resulting in lost revenue for the federal government.
Toll collectors, currency exchange personnel, custodians and maintenance staff represented by Local 501 of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) walked off the job November 21.
PSAC Ontario Regional Executive Vice President Sharon DeSousa was on the picket line Tuesday.
She says the Federal Bridge Corporation is taking a hit.
"We have members here who have worked at this bridge for over 15 years, and they've never seen such a low volume in traffic," says DeSousa. "Are they being hit financially? Without a doubt. In terms of numbers, that's something that Blue Water Bridge and the Federal Bridge Corporation will have to answer for why the revenue was so low in the last quarter."
Corporation spokesman Andre Girard says November car traffic is slightly lower, down 1.9% compared to November of last year.
"We found that this is actually a pretty good result for our dollar that's at nearly $1.40 US," says Girard. "So, while this was happening, commercial traffic in November 2016 was up 2.3% and bus traffic by 5.8%."
The bridge corporation disputes union claims that it's seeking major concessions and there is no indication of any resumption in talks.
Monday afternoon the picket lines were bolstered by First Nations members that included a show of solidarity for the Standing Rock Sioux Nation that is protesting against the Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota.
