Unions Serve CP Rail With Strike Notice; CP Scales Back Service Ahead of Walkout
Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. (CP) was starting to scale back service on May 29 after union members voted on May 25 to reject the railroad’s latest three-year contract offer. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers served the railway with a 72-hour strike notice on May 26, saying they planned to walk off the line as early as 10 p.m. EDT on May 29.
Approximately 3,000 conductors and locomotive engineers voted 98.1 percent to reject CP’s final offer on Friday, while about 360 signals and communications employees voted 97.2 percent to authorize strike action, according to a union statement. Long hours, worker fatigue, and cuts that CP allegedly made to increase profitability are reportedly on the list of union grievances.
CP said it will continue to meet with union members in the hope of reaching an agreement, but noted on May 29 that is has started contingency plans to ensure a smooth and safe wind down of operations. An earlier strike was averted in April (GM April 28, p. 1) after the unions agreed to a recommendation from federal mediators to vote on a new contract offer from CP.
Employment and Labor Minister Patty Hajdu met with both sides over the weekend as federal mediators assisted negotiations. “I urge all parties to continue their hard work to reach a fair deal that avoids any disruption in service,” she said on May 28.