VIA Rail, Union Reach Tentative Deal
Unifor VIA Rail Master Bargaining Committees (CNW Group/Unifor)
A strike threatening to suspend passenger rail services across Canada has been averted after Via Rail reached tentative agreements with Unifor hours before the July 11 deadline.
The tentative deal follows a strike mandate issued by Unifor, which represents 2,400 Via Rail employees, on July 7 and a 72-hour strike notice to the national car carrier issued on July 8 to “give the public ample notice and an opportunity to make alternative arrangements for travel” if a new contract could not be negotiated by 12:01 a.m. on Monday, July 11. Both Unifor and Via Rail confirm that service will operate normally, pending ratification of the agreement.
These tentative agreements, VIA Rail says, are subject to a ratification vote by VIA Rail’s Unifor Council 4000 and Local 100 members. Once ratified, the collective agreements will be retroactive to January 1, 2022, and in effect through December 31, 2024. Details of the agreements will be released following ratification by members.
“From the beginning, our bargaining committees felt the weight of their responsibility–to fight for the best deal for their members,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National Secretary-Treasurer. “They have done incredible work. They were tough and principled, and they have proven that when we fight, we can win for working people.”
“VIA Rail is pleased to have negotiated these agreements and recognizes the hard work of both parties during this process,” said VIA Rail President and Chief Executive Officer Martin R. Landry, in a statement. “We sympathize with the passengers and communities whose plans have been impacted in the past couple of days due to the uncertainty caused by this potential strike. As we look forward to ratification, these tentative agreements allow our teams to get back to doing what we do best: serving Canadians throughout the country.”
VIA Rail says it “regrets any uncertainties that the strike notice issued by the union may have caused,” adding that it wants to “reassure passengers that operations will run as scheduled as the company awaits ratification.
Via Rail also said it will continue to offer customers the opportunity to make changes to their travel plans without service fees for any departures prior to July 31, 2022.
Three Unions Ratify Agreements With CP
Canadian Pacific photo
Employees on Canadian Pacific’s Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern (DM&E) South; Central Maine & Quebec (CMQ) U.S. and Central Maine & Quebec Canada subsidiaries have ratified collective bargaining agreements.
The agreements on these CP properties, which are in Maine, the U.S. Midwest (Iowa, Missouri and Illinois) and parts of Quebec, affect approximately 430 employees represented by United Steel Workers Local 1976 on the CMQ Canada, SMART Transportation Division representing all employees on the CMQ U.S., and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen representing all T&E employees on the DM&E South. They provide higher hourly wages for all employees at major CP crew bases at Ottumwa, Davenport, Marquette and Mason City, Iowa; Kansas City, Mo.; Savanna, Ill.; Brownville Junction, Maine; and Farnham, Que. CP said is hiring for various positions at all of these locations in 2022, with immediate openings.
“CP welcomes the ratification of these three recently negotiated agreements that bring wage increases to hundreds of our dedicated employees,” said CP Executive Vice-President Operations Mark Redd. “We continue to work productively with all of our union partners to achieve long-term agreements that meet the needs of CP’s growing business and our industry-leading railroaders.”
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