The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that the threat of automation looms over B.C. port workers on strike as the union and employers clash over how much money to set aside in a retirement fund designed to compensate employees for modernization and mechanization. The Globe's Brent Jang writes that the fund earmarked for union members, known as M&M payments, has grown over the years to the current lump-sum payout of $81,250, allowing a worker with at least 25 years of service to receive the payment within 30 days of retirement. What the union calls a "retiring allowance" is over and above benefits and pension. In the past, the payment has been a crucial part of keeping labour peace, with employers seeking to address concerns about job security amid waves of technological change over the decades. About 7,400 members of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union Canada went on strike on Canada Day at the Port of Vancouver and smaller regions, affecting at least 30 terminals. Contract talks stalled on Tuesday. The ILWU is seeking to increase the retirement payout to $91,250 in its two-year proposal, with $5,000 extra in the first year and another $5,000 in the second year.