OTTAWA, Ontario — Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City have rejected a Teamsters Canada Rail Conference proposal to stagger negotiations with both railways by two weeks.
The union — which represents engineers and conductors on both railways, as well as rail traffic controllers on CPKC — said that staggering contract talks would avoid simultaneous work stoppages at CN and CPKC. This would significantly reduce the economic impacts from any disruptions to the supply chain from a strike or lockout, the TCRC said today.
“Staggering the negotiations is a sensible solution that would minimize disruptions and allow all parties to address their concerns in a more structured and productive manner. CN and CPKC’s rejection of this proposal is a clear indication of how little they care about the economy and the supply chain, as well as their unwillingness to negotiate,” TCRC President Paul Boucher said in a statement.
CN and CPKC have proposed binding arbitration as a way to avoid a strike. The union has rejected those requests.
“A work stoppage has never ever been our end goal. Our members at both carriers simply want a fair and equitable collective agreement – one that does not compromise their quality of life or their safety. Both CN and CPKC are standing in the way of that,” Boucher said.
A work stoppage was initially possible on May 22, following a near-unanimous strike mandate given by workers at both companies should negotiations fail. However, the federal government temporarily suspended the union’s right to strike and asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to examine the question of essential services.
CPKC has said it’s unlikely that a strike or lockout could occur until July at the earliest.
