(Bloomberg News circulated the following story by Reg Curren on March 24.)
MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway Co., the country’s biggest railroad, and the union representing electrical workers brought in federal mediators today in a bid to head off a strike that could start as soon as Saturday.
The Montreal-based company yesterday received a strike notice from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The union represents 644 workers responsible for maintaining track signals, radio and data networks used to monitor train movements, Canadian National spokesman Jim Feeny said in a telephone interview.
Canadian National plans to keep moving freight if there’s a strike, which could start at 12:01 a.m. March 26, and has enough supervisors qualified to do the work of the unionized workers, Feeny said. He said the company, union and mediators are meeting to try to negotiate a new labor agreement.
The union has been without a contract since Dec. 31, 2003. Feeny declined to comment on the reasons for the impasse.
Canadian National agreed to resume talks with 1,750 locomotive engineers earlier this month after the company and union greed to postpone a possible work stoppage until May 12, said Feeny. The railway in February reached a tentative agreement with the United Transportation Union, whose 2,520 members work with engineers on the freight trains.
A 28-day strike last year by 5,000 clerical and cargo terminal workers cost the company C$24 million, or 8 cents a share.
Canadian National shares fell 75 cents to C$75.74 at 1:27 p.m. in trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange and have gained 51 percent in the past year.