Unifor secures strike vote in CN Rail negotiations

After breaking off contract talks with Canadian National Rail last month, Unifor announced Sunday that members have voted in favour of a strike action.

Over the last 10 days,Unifor Local 100 and Unifor Council 4000 voted 98 per cent and 97 per cent, respectively, for a work stoppage. The vote comes after Unifor’s five collective agreements with CN all expired Dec. 31.

Unifor national representative Bruce Snow told the Star that one of the main points of tension with this contract include pensions and CN Rail’s proposal to change the age for early retirement, which is 55 with minimum 30 years of service, to 65 by the end of this year.

Snow also said CN wants to introduce flex benefits which would be costly for members and “subpar wage increases up to 3.5 per cent below federal inflation levels.”

“We need the company to withdraw what we view as concessions and then we’d be prepared to continue trying to find common ground,” said Snow.

The two locals represent around 3,000 CN employees across clerical, mechanical, intermodal and facility management departments. Five bargaining sessions have taken place since the parties opened negotiations October 2022.

“Although progress has been achieved in certain areas, the concessions proposed by the employer must be withdrawn to reach an agreement,” said Cory Will, President of Unifor Local 100, in a February press release. Unifor decided to file for conciliation on Dec. 9, 2022, to “help move the process along.”

Bargaining updates posted to the CN website said the transport company tabled a comprehensive offer with the union on Feb. 14, including increases in net pay and benefits, as well as “improved working conditions for all represented employees.”

CN said it does not expect any labour action to impact its operations, and “remains committed to achieving a negotiated settlement.”

“In this climate of massive profits CN is proposing a multitude of concessions demonstrating just how out of touch they are,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President, in a press release. “Our hard-working rail workers … will not accept an agreement that attacks our union and devalues them and their work.”

CN went through an eight-day strike by more than 3,000 workers represented by Teamsters Canada in November 2019 that halted shipments and disrupted industries across the country.

If any job action takes place, it would be “a complete withdrawal of all services” on March 21, Snow said. Unifor is scheduled to go back to the bargaining table on March 13.

Unifor represents around 315,000 workers in almost 30 sectors, including media. Unionized Toronto Star employees are represented by Unifor.

With files from The Canadian Press

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