MONTREAL — Unifor, the union representing about 3,600 Canadian National Railway mechanical, clerical, and intermodal employees in Canada, has filed a Notice of Dispute with the Canadian government regarding its negotiations with the railroad, CN has announced.
The move on Friday, Sept. 27, came just three days after Unifor — Canada’s largest private-sector union, with more than 315,000 members — began negotiations with CN over a contract that expires on Dec. 31.
The notice, sent to Canada’s labor minister, generally leads to appointment of a conciliation officer to assist the parties in reaching an agreement.
In announcing the start of negotiations, Unifor said it would focus on improving wages, pensions, benefits, and work protection. The union said in a Friday press release that it had filed the notice because the railroad “came to the table with demands for concessions that would undermine our members’ rights and working conditions,” according to Unifor National President Lana Payne, and because the railroad issued notice of intent to lay off at least 65 members of the union within 24 hours of the start of negotations.
CN, in a press release, said that while it is “disappointed that Unifor is filing the notice so early in the process, the company is committed to reaching negotiated agreements with the union that are good for employees, customers, and the economy.”
The Unifor negotiations come while CN and Canadian Pacific Kansas City are in the process of binding arbitration with members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference. That arbitration wasordered by Canada’s labor minister in August to end lockouts that briefly shut down both railroads’ operations in Canada. The TCRC is challenging the arbitration decision in court, saying it strips workers of the right to strike [see “Union files lawsuits challenging Canadian government order …,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 30, 2024].
