(The Canadian Press circulated the following story on January 19.)
CALGARY — Canadian Pacific’s train crew employees have ratified a four-year contract that includes improvements to wages, pensions and benefits plus work-rule changes to boost productivity, CP and Teamsters union said Tuesday.
Wage increases are two per cent for 2003, three per cent for 2004, 2.5 per cent for 2005 and three per cent for 2006. The agreement covers 4,500 train crew employees, the railway’s largest bargaining group.
“In addition to improvements secured in traditional areas, this agreement includes a framework to move forward in areas that will improve lifestyle for our membership,” said Teamsters vice-president George Hucker.
CPR president and CEO Rob Ritchie said the wage, benefit and work rule improvements “are consistent with the pattern CPR has established in other collective agreements.”
On Friday, the Teamsters and company reached a tentative agreement covering 2,150 track maintenance employees to the end of 2006. Details of that settlement aren’t being disclosed pending a vote by the membership.