MONTREAL — With negotiations progressing, the deadline for a strike against VIA Rail Canada by the 2,400 members of the Unifor union has been pushed back to 4 p.m. EDT today (Monday, July 11), VIA said this morning.
The strike was originally set to begin at 12:01 a.m. EDT today.
“We remain hopeful that a deal can be reached,” Lana Payne, Unifor national secretary-treasurer, said in a statement. “Our bargaining committees have been steadfast in wanting to achieve a deal that respects and values their work.”
VIA cautions that some services today may be impacted. Visit the VIA Rail website for updates on train status.
“VIA Rail remains committed to reaching a fair and reasonable agreement,” VIA CEO Martin R. Landry said in a press release. “… We recognize the additional stress this situations is placing on our passengers and the communities we serve from coast to coast to coast.”
Unifor members, which include onboard, station, maintenance, customer center, and administrative-office employees, voted to strike last week and subsequently issued the required advance notification of intent to strike on July 7 [see “Union issues 72-hour strike notice …,” Trains News Wire, July 8, 2022].
