CALGARY — Canadian Pacific will lock out the approximately 3,000 members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference as of 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, March 20, unless there is an agreement between the railroad and union by then, or the two sides agree to binding arbitration.
The railroad announced the move on Wednesday. On Thursday, the union — which represents engineers, conductors, crew members and yard workers — provided its 72-hour notification of intent to strike, also effective at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Sunday.
Canadian Pacific CEO Keith Creel said in a press release that “we simply cannot prolong for weeks or months the uncertainty associated with a potential labor disruption. … Delaying resolution would only make things worse. We take this action with a view to bringing this uncertainty to an end.”
The railroad said that on Tuesday, it made an offer addressing 26 issues, including an offer to resolve wage, benefit, and pension information through binding arbitration. The union rejected that offer Wednesday and made additional work-rule demands, the railroad said. It also included a pension demand the railroad called “onerous,” saying that the union’s demand would “be even more destabilizing to the pension plan for all of CP’s unionized employees, not just the 10% who are TCRC members.”
CP said it will work with customers “to achieve a smooth, efficient and safe wind-down of Canadian operations.”
Union spokesman Dave Fulton said in a statement on the TCRC website that “CP continues to dismiss our members’ demands and are unwilling to negotiate the issues they have created. We remain committed to reaching an acceptable agreement that addresses our members’ issues. … The union is willing to remain at the bargaining table until the March 20th lockout deadline and beyond.”
Canadian agriculture and industry have previously warned the interruption of CP service will have dire consequences [see “Union has yet to issue strike notice …,” Trains News Wire, March 15, 2022]. Some companies — as well as some U.S. legislators — have urged the Canadian government to act to block a stoppage, but Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s labor minister, did not indicate in a Wednesday night statement that any such move was imminent.
“Our government respects and has faith in the collective bargaining process,” O’Regan wrote, “because we know that the best deals are the ones reached by the parties at the bargaining table.
“The Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra, and I understand the impacts of a potential work stoppage and are monitoring the situation closely. We are encouraged to see that both parties are still negotiating. … The government strongly encourages both parties to consider making the compromises necessary to reach a deal that is fair for workers and the employer. Canadians have worked together throughout the pandemic to find solutions to our collective challenges. They expect the same from such actors in our national economy.”
The release detailed what the railroad says are the top and average salaries for the union members, and launched what it called “a fact-based information hub” on the negotiations, issues, and consequences of a work stoppage, which is available here.
— Updated at 7:40 p.m. CDT with union notification of intent to strike.
Here’s a blatant lie if I ever read one: ““Our government respects and has faith in the collective bargaining process,” O’Regan wrote, “because we know that the best deals are the ones reached by the parties at the bargaining table.” That is entirely untrue, sometimes the best outcomes are from mediation or binding arbitration, but the parties only find out it was the best solution once it’s been in place for several months.
To answer James query above, the union has not given a date on when the employees would walk off the job, there’s uncertainty with that scenario. At least with a lockout customers/shippers know when service will stop.
How come it is OK for the company to lock the workers out with barely a peep. However, when the strike vote was passed, the workers had to be stopped. Otherwise, it be an economic catastrophe.