TCRC reaches deal with CN; agrees to arbitration with CP, while CP reaches deal with Unifor

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor

Canadian National has negotiated a tentative labor agreement with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) union that represents approximately 1,800 of the company's locomotive engineers in Canada.

 

Details of the tentative settlement are being withheld pending ratification by TCRC members. The union expects to announce the results of the ratification vote by mid-April 2015.

Additionally, TCRC and Canadian Pacific agreed to a mediation and arbitration process to address all of the outstanding issues which had caused a strike. One major issue is fatigue management and the necessity to implement broad based and effective fatigue countermeasures for the rail workers.

Train operations began Feb. 17, in a manner which will allow an organized start up to operations, also ensuring the workers have an opportunity to be well rested prior to once again operating trains throughout Canada.

“We took this strike action to improve the quality of life and the working conditions for our membership,” said Doug Finnson, the president of the TCRC. “Our preference is to negotiate these improvements through collective bargaining and the worst thing that could happen is a legislated process. These issues are far too important to our members to have a legislated process decide the issue. Consequently, the better option is to use a fair mediation and arbitration dispute resolution in front of an independent arbitrator, where we can demonstrate that our plan is a proven fatigue management system which is highly regarded for a long time and is far superior to what the employer seeks to obtain.”

“This decision ensures both sides will get back to the table and gets us back to moving Canada’s economy forward,” said E. Hunter Harrison, CP’s chief executive officer. “While we would have preferred a negotiated settlement, this is the right thing to do at this time.”

An arbitrator will be appointed by the Canadian government.

Meanwhile, CP reached a tentative four-year agreement with Unifor, the union representing CP’s 1,200 active mechanical employees that maintain rail cars and locomotives.
Details of the tentative agreement are being withheld pending ratification by the Unifor membership.

 

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