Just read in the Vancouver Sun today that CN running trades employees (In Canada) are in a postition to call for a strike within the next few weeks, they just have to give their 72 hours notice.
To counteract the strike CN has hired 1000 new managers to run the trains while the running trades are striking (if they do).
…kind of defeats the purpose of a strike if CN can just hire more people to run the trains, in this case I suppose they just call them “Managers” instead of “Scabs”.
CN Rail downplays Canadian strike concerns
(Reuters circulated the following story by Allan Dowd on January 10.)
VANCOUVER, B.C. – Canadian National Railway Co. sought on Monday to downplay concern about a possible strike by three Canadian unions, saying it remained optimistic a negotiated settlement can be reached.
The railway, Canada’s largest and North America’s No. 5, also said the intervention of the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) last month meant there could not be labor stoppage until regulators determine essential service levels.
CN Rail has been negotiating with its Canadian train crews and signal maintenance employees for months and there has been increasing concern among analysts that two of the unions could walk off the job by the end of January.
A CIRB official said the board is taking submissions from the company and the unions on what levels of train service must be maintained in a dispute to protect immediate public safety. It has not said when it will issue a ruling.
“It depends on what comes in,” said Tom Panelli, director of the CIRB’s western regional office.
Canada’s federal labor minister ordered the CIRB to get involved in late December, and the right to strike or impose a lockout is suspended until the board rules.
CN said it will bargain with the unions while the CIRB investigates the issue. “The company remains optimistic settlements can be reached without labor disruption,” it said in a news release.
The United Transportation Union, which represents 2,520 brakemen and conductors, and Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, which represents 1,750 locomotive engineers, have expressed concern about the CIRB’s intervention.
The unions said they already had agreements with CN that set essential service levels. The Teamsters also complained that increasing the number of engineers forced to work during a strike would weaken its bargaining position.
"Our position in this matter was and still is grounded in the fact
Isn’t scabs illegal in Canada? I could have sworn it was but don’t know for sure.
Maybe CN should attempt meaningful bargaining before hiring scabs. Just a thought.
that is the problem with the unions, they are allowed to screw up the rest of the peoples lives so they can squable about a few more bucks in their pocket. Maybe not in railroads, but in other businesses, there is a reason why most companies that are going overseas are ones that were union.
Brad
An interesting question;is this the first chess move in CN attempting to morph into a non-union carrier??? As discussed at length some weeks ago on this site,if that is the game plan then these moves would make sense. It will be interesting to see how it plays out!
There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that CN would love to shed its Union.
They have no hesitation whatsoever about hiring on 1000 new managers to keep the steel wheels a rolling when the workers go on strike.
Believe me, there probably wouldn’t be a shortage of people willing to run trains at $11/hour either.
Railroad labor is a battleship with two huge torpedo holes in it. Unfotunately the continuing squabbles between the seperate Unions is creating a gaping hole in any kind of bargaining strength that these unions have. The Carriers know this, and they will take full advantage of the impotence of the unions. Solidarity needs to occur. Trades need to stop selling out each other and one common cause must be put on the table, to keep the jobs we have before more are lost. What frustrates me is that the BLE and UTU want to keep putting knives in each other’s backs while the carriers mount an offensive they won’t be able to fight off. I’d rather just merge under one giant union, but my problem with that is the Teamsters are involved with the BLE. I just don’t get the logic in joining the Teamsters, which will waste no time in selling out their rail buddies and raiding their pension vault. They represent trucking interests, the very antithesis of railroads!!! Oh well, what do I know??? If Unions are going to be so impotent anyway, why even have them? I might as well try to be a contract employee, then at least when I was “let go” I’d still get my severance package. Maybe I’ve been lead astray by the horrible leadeship of my own Local Union leaders, but I just have not been shown any kind of leadership or resolve that will get us anywhere as a whole. I’m tired of trying to sell out the engineer with wearing a remote box or forcing new hires to take a pay cut to keep people working.
The engineers still want the payback for those remote boxes, they wanna start running Engineer Only, yikes, that’ll take a hit.
Conductors in the Yard and Engineers on the freights… hope it never comes to that.
Here at CP we are all one Union, but different divisions, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference represents the Conductors and Hoggers.
CN is still UTU for conductors but Teamsters for the hogge
It’s all just so frustrating. I just don’t know what to think anymore, you know???
Yup.
It’s going to be interesting to see what happends if the CN UTU decides to strike.
Does anyone want to bet on how many days the hoggers go before they are legislated back to work?
2 Days, 3?
To all CN Members of System Council #11
Subject Strike Mandate
I regret to inform you that your negotiation committee has been unable
to negotiate a Collective Agreement settlement that would be
satisfactory to the Membership.
There are four major items that we are having difficulties with that I
will explain.
WAGES
Many of you may have heard or been told that the Union turned down an
offer of a wage increase of 3% for each year of the contract. The
offer to the Union was 2.5% for each year and keep Gainshare or give
up Gainshare and receive 3% for each year. Gainshare was an original
demand for the Company two contracts ago. To give up something that is
worth 2 - 4 % per year in trade for a 0.5% wage increase is illogical.
There is a set pattern in this area from other negotiated contracts
within CN.
Self Directed Units
The Company and the Union have major differences in the interpretation
of this agreement. It is at the moment that the differences are in
Eastern Canada and if cannot be settled could spread to other parts of
Canada. The major differences include but are not limited to:
Hours of work that is outside of the Agreement to provide live
coverage between 06:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday. The Company is
demanding and forcing Members of some SDU’S to provide and protect
work on the territory to support work projects as to avoid overtime.
It is the Union’s position that this violates the SDU Agreement as it
is work outside hours of duty.
Compensation for working on a rest day when the SDU is not fully
staffed.
Compensation for penalty payments when qualified personnel are
unavailable to fully staff SDU’S
Vacation relief for SDU’S when not permanently staffed with a Rover or
when staffed with less than enough Members to accommodate vacation
requirements.
Th
January 31st, 2005
UTU MEMBERSHIP CN RAIL - STRIKE MANDATE
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Your Union (over many, many months) has attempted, in good faith, to reach a Collective Agreement that meets the needs of the membership. Unfortunately CN Rail, in our opinion, has failed to address, in any meaningful way, your legitimate concerns.
Harassment and intimidation issues remain. Unprecedented and unwarranted discipline continues. The intrusion on your leisure time has escalated. The overall “Quality of Life” of the membership continues to be eroded.
As you may know the Canada Industrial Relations Board is currently considering the issue of “Essential Services”. Until this matter is resolved the parties are prevented from exercising their respective right of strike/lockout.
Your Union has considered the uncertainty of the Board’s timeline as any strike mandate, if granted, is only valid for 60 days. Although a prolonged delay by the Board may require a further strike mandate, your Union nevertheless believes it is important to be prepared in the event the Board issues an early decision.
Your Union believes it is now time for the membership to express its collective position on these negotiations. Therefore, consistent with Article 85 of the UTU Constitution, the General Chairpersons are respectfully requesting a strong strike mandate which, if necessary, will be applied against CN Rail.
Strike ballots will be sent by mail in Western and Eastern Canada and must be returned no later than the close of business February 28th, 2005. Strike ballots will be issued to each member. These ballots will be returned to the respective General Chairperson(s) Office for counting.
In the Central Canada Region (jurisdiction of General Chairperson R. B), strike ballots will be issued and counted by each Local. In this regard instructions will be issued by the General Chairperson to the Local Chairperson as to the
I don’t undertand what evidence is there that CN hasn’t attempted meaningful bargaining? Is there any evidence that union is being anymore reasonable in the negotiations or is the union automatically in the right and CN automatically in the wrong? I think its quite reasonable (if not common) for two parties to both negotiate in good faith and yet have difficulty in coming to an agreement