Roughly 10,000 members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference will be able to strike, or will be locked out by management, if a settlement is not reached by August 22. Photo courtesy of TCRC
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BLET members in the United States are standing with our Brothers and Sisters in Canada as they struggle to secure a fair contract with CPKC and CN. About 10,000 members of Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) will be able to strike if a negotiated settlement is not reached by an August 22 deadline.
The current round of negotiations has been contentious. According to TCRC: “Workers are on the defensive in these negotiations, with both companies demanding a wide range of concessions on issues pertaining to crew scheduling, hours of work, and fatigue management. The stumbling blocks are company demands — not union proposals. Hit by labor shortages, both CN and CPKC are trying to squeeze more availability out of train crews.”
“Our TCRC Brothers and Sisters have 100 percent of our support in their struggle with CPKC and CN,” BLET National President Eddie Hall said. “Just as corporate greed is out of control in America, so too is the case in Canada. Unfortunately, the railways have made it a priority to enrich a handful of shareholders at the expense and well-being of their workers. The BLET is proud to stand in solidarity as our TCRC Brothers and Sisters draw a line in the sand and fight this injustice.”