MONTREAL — Talks have broken off between VIA Rail Canada and Unifor, the union representing 2,500 workers including onboard attendants and mechanical workers, the union said today (June 2, 2025).
The end of negotiations comes with a potential strike as little as three weeks away. Employees could walk out as soon as June 22 following the end of the federal conciliation period on May 31.
“We didn’t come to the table looking for a dispute — we came to get a deal,” Unifor National President Lana Payne said in a press release. “But VIA Rail’s refusal to take our demands seriously has left us with no other choice. If they’re not willing to fix what’s broken, they’re forcing this dispute onto workers and passengers alike.”
The union said one of the key issues is what it called a “crisis” on the On-Board Services spare boards, where workers are facing short hours and reduced pay under what it called VIA’s “mismanagement” of the board system.
Talks are now slated to resume June 17.
Unifor’s Council 4000 represents 1,800 workers including on-board service crews, along with those in station services, headquarters, and maintenance centers. Local 1000 represents diesel engine mechanics, electricians, railcar technical, and general workers. Union members voted to authorize a strike last month [see “Unifor members authorize strike …,” Trains News Wire, May 27, 2025].
