CN labor negotiations: Northern Quebec Internal Short Line agreement ratified; Unifor issues unresolved
Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
Canadian National's locomotive engineers and conductors working on the Northern Quebec Internal Short Line, who are represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) union, have ratified a new collective agreement. The four-year agreement provides wage increases and benefit improvements to 93 employees.
“We are pleased to see yet another ratification of a collective agreement with our unionized employees in this round of bargaining for CN,” said Jim Vena, CN executive vice-president and chief operating officer. “By focusing on what matters to our employees, we were able to reach an amicable agreement with the TCRC, which represents our running trade employees serving Northern Quebec.”
In another union matter, CN and Unifor have not yet reached a new collective agreement.
Unifor represents approximately 4,800 CN employees in mechanical, intermodal, clerical and other areas of the company’s business.
CN’s settlement offer to Unifor on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, called for a three-year agreement, with three percent wage increases in each year and benefit improvements.
At issue is Unifor’s requirement that CN make cash contributions to a union fund for political and community action.
“This is an issue of principle for us,” said Claude Mongeau, CN president and chief executive officer. “CN is prepared to co-invest in charitable causes, but we are not prepared to support such a union agenda.
“We are offering several alternatives, including binding arbitration, to keep the process moving forward toward resolution. We will continue to use our best efforts to reach an agreement with Unifor.”
Jerry Dias, Unifor’s president, said the union will commence strike votes at CN early next week. Dias said the union will be setting a strike deadline close to the end of March to allow CN customers to make alternative arrangements.
CN said it has decided to modify some terms of the Unifor collective agreements, as permitted by the Canada Labour Code at this stage of the bargaining process, starting as of Friday, Feb. 20, 2015.
CN will increase Unifor members’ wages by two percent, which is greater than the current inflation rate of 1.5 percent. While CN has signed agreements with higher wage patterns, those were reached before the economy started softening and reflected the value to CN of deals reached amicably, without the threat of disruption or potential strike action, the railroad notes.
