The union representing more than 9,000 workers at Canada’s two biggest railways says public safety is at stake as contract negotiations ground to a halt this month, with a potential strike on the horizon.
Teamsters Canada president Francois Laporte said demands by Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. are “non-negotiable.”
“CN and CPKC aim to eliminate all safety-critical rest provisions from our collective agreements. These provisions are necessary to combat crew fatigue and ensure public safety,” he said in a press release on Monday.
“We want to reach a negotiated settlement, but their demands are non-starters for the teamsters.”
As a result, a “work stoppage looms,” the union said…
This was excerpted from the 19 February 2024 edition of CBC News.