Employees of Canada’s two largest railway companies have given themselves a strike mandate as part of negotiations for the renewal of their collective agreements.
Thousands of workers could walk off the job within three weeks if they do not reach an agreement with their employers.
The union that represents approximately 9,300 Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) employees says its members voted more than 97% in favor of a strike mandate this week .
The president of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, Paul Boucher, mentions that the two companies are trying to eliminate “all provisions relating to rest” from collective agreements.
“After six months of negotiations with the two companies, we are no closer to reaching an agreement than at the beginning. The two companies are trying to remove from our collective agreements the crucial provisions concerning rest, necessary for safety, denounced Mr. Boucher. We are at an impasse. »
It also warns that a simultaneous work stoppage at CN and CPKC would disrupt supply chains on an unprecedented scale. He calls for an agreement that “values the safety of people as much as profits”.
This week’s vote, in which more than 91% of members participated, means that drivers, engineers and rail yard workers could go to the picket lines as early as May 22, while a mediation period mandatory federal government began Wednesday.
Employers defend themselves
The CPKC says the two deal options it has presented offer major benefits to workers and do not compromise anything on safety.
“Saying or suggesting otherwise is false,” the company said in an update on the negotiations.
“A work stoppage will impact all Canadians. It will result in the cessation of freight traffic on the Canadian CPKC rail network. This will disrupt critical supply chains across North America and significantly limit trade between Canada, the United States and Mexico,” the company warned.
Suburbanites in Canada’s three largest cities would also be affected. Potential strikers include dispatchers running commuter trains, which run on CPKC-owned rails. These lines are used by users of the GO Transit network in Toronto, the exo lines in Montreal and those of the West Coast Express in Vancouver.
A CN spokesperson assured the company remained focused on reaching a deal that would benefit both workers and the country’s largest rail operator, in part by “addressing work-life balance and productivity “.
“Even when the company proposed a solution that did not change the rest rules, the union rejected it,” continued Jonathan Abecassis.
Three different contracts are under negotiation. One for CN workers, another for CPKC workers and a final one for CPKC rail controllers.
Difficult negotiations
“We are here to negotiate. However, the three committees continue to note that there is a lack of commitment from businesses,” Mr. Boucher told reporters at a press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday.
“The union is not available to meet with us before May 13,” replied the CN.
“Ultimately, despite five months of constant discussions, [Teamsters] has made very few concessions and has been unclear about what it seeks for employees, other than a list of around 200 local and regional demands that bear no relation to a modern consolidated agreement that would benefit so much to employees and customers,” said the Montreal company in a press release.
The NC is pessimistic about the likelihood of a smooth resolution.
“Unfortunately, CN remains cautious about finalizing an agreement before a labor disruption that would impact the Canadian supply chain, the North American economy and our employees. »
However, CN workers grouped in a separate union managed to find common ground with the company on Wednesday.
CN announced a new three-year collective agreement with 2,500 railway maintenance employees. They represent a small portion of the Canadian members of the United Steelworkers Union.