CP Rail union members begin picketing in Calgary

Dozens of members of the union representing employees of Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway, were out picketing in Calgary on Sunday due to the early morning shutdown. 

Bill Merriman, a locomotive engineer and president of the local chapter of Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), said members were hopeful that CP and the union would reach a negotiation soon. 

"[Our members] understand what the issues are," said Merriman. 

"They're not thrilled about it, but I mean sometimes it's a necessary evil, short term pain for long term gain." 

TCRC members were picketing at both the CP Alyth yard off of Ogden Dale Road S.E. and the CP intermodal terminal off of 52 street S.E.

While Merriman said he knows that industries relying on CP rail will suffer from the shutdown, he also wants the public to understand the reasons TCRC members called for a strike in the first place. 

"I'm on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year ⁠— I have no idea when I'm leaving and when I'm getting home and I'm also away from my family 80 to 110 hours a week," said Merriman. 

"I understand that it hurts the Canadian economy, that these people are suffering, but unfortunately, when you have a company that doesn't want to negotiate in good faith, this is the end result." 

TCRC issued a release just before midnight on Saturday saying a lockout was being initiated by management at the Calgary-based railway.

The union then issued a subsequent release that said in addition to the lockout, TCRC members were also on strike throughout the country, with picketing underway at various Canadian Pacific locations.

Canadian Pacific spokesperson Patrick Waldron said that as a result of the work stoppage, the railway was safely executing a Canada-wide shutdown of its services.

The office of federal Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan said in a statement that while the work stoppage had begun, both parties were still at the bargaining table with mediators and it expected "the parties to keep working until they reach an agreement."

The more than two dozen outstanding issues in the dispute include wages, benefits and pensions.

Bob Lowe is the president of the Canadian Cattlemen's association and runs Bear Trap Feeders, a feedlot near Nanton, Alta. He said that operations like his have mere weeks of feed reserves before their animals begin to go hungry.