Thousands of Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) workers are now in a legal strike position as of Friday.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada says job action will begin later Friday afternoon unless an agreement is reached.

“We still hope to avoid strike action and potential disruptions for travellers and commercial traffic at Canada’s borders,” Sharon DeSousa, PSAC national president, said in a statement.

“But we’ve set a deadline for Trudeau’s Liberal government to get to work on a fair contract for workers.”

More than 9,000 unionized members recently voted 96 per cent in favour of strike action.

What that action could look like is unknown as 90 per cent of front-line officers are considered essential.

But experts say unionzed workers could use work-to-rule, which has the potential to cause significant delays.

Job action by CBSA personnel in 2021 caused major delays at airports and borders across the country.

One of the main issues this time around is wages that are aligned with other Canadian law enforcement agencies.

The union is also pushing for flexible telework and remote work options, equitable retirement benefits, and stronger protections around discipline, technological change and hours of work.

Meanwhile, the federal government said it remains “ready and willing” to negotiate and reach a fair agreement.

“Negotiation is a process of give and take. The government is prepared to make concessions, but there needs to be movement on both sides,” the Treasury Board of Canada said in a news release earlier this week.