CN, CPKC workers approve strike mandate as possible work stoppage looms
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Employees at Canada's two biggest railways have authorized a strike that could see thousands of workers walk off the job in three weeks if they are unable to reach new deals on contract demands.
Employees at Canada's two biggest railways have authorized a strike that could see thousands of workers walk off the job in three weeks if they are unable to reach new deals on contract demands.
About 6,000 employees at Canadian National Railway Co. and 3,300 at Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. voted more than 97 per cent in favour of a strike mandate this week, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference said Wednesday.
“After six months of negotiations with both companies, we are no closer to reaching a settlement than when we first began. Both companies are trying to strip our collective agreements of safety-critical rest provisions," said union president Paul Boucher.
"We are at an impasse."
Boucher warned that a work stoppage at both CN and CPKC simultaneously would disrupt supply chains on an unprecedented scale, calling for a deal that does not "put profits over people.”
CPKC said that the two deal options it has presented provide major benefits to workers and compromise nothing on safety. "To say or suggest otherwise is false," the company said in a bargaining update.
But it agreed on the disruptive impact of a strike or lockout.
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