Canadian National Railway Co. says rail workers have rejected its offer to enter into binding arbitration, as the country's largest railroad operator looks to steer clear of a strike down the line. CN rail trains are shown in Vaughan, Ont., on June 20, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
MONTREAL – Canadian National Railway Co. says rail workers have rejected its offer to enter into binding arbitration, as the country’s largest railroad operator looks to steer clear of a strike.
The process, when agreed to, sees a mutually approved arbitrator settle the labour dispute by deciding the terms of a new collective agreement between the parties.
CN says it has put forward two proposals: one looked to pay hourly wages to workers on a schedule, in a change from the longstanding practice of pay per mile with no schedule; the other aimed to extend parts of the current arrangement.
Teamsters Canada has countered that the first offer involved what it called “forced relocation” of workers for months at a time, while the second would compel shifts of up to 12 hours – in line with regulations, but beyond the 10-hour ceiling currently available to employees and upping the risk of accidents, the union says.
Last month, employees at CN and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. authorized a strike mandate that could see some 9,300 workers walk off the job if they are unable to reach new agreements.
Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan, in an apparent move to delay a potential strike, stepped in by asking the country’s labour board to review whether a work stoppage would jeopardize Canadians’ health and safety. A decision is unlikely before mid-July, according to both railways.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:CNR, TSX:CP)
