(CBC News Toronto circulated the following on April 11.)
TORONTO — CN Rail workers are raising their pickets across Canada Wednesday morning, after union members rejected a tentative deal struck in February to end a 15-day walkout.
United Transportation Union workers in Ontario, B.C. and Nova Scotia began Canada-wide rotating strikes late Tuesday to force Canada’s largest rail carrier to come back to the bargaining table.
Union representative Scott Montani told CBC News Wednesday morning the labour action will rotate among various Canadian cities to keep freight moving.
“It’s not about hurting Canadian businesses. It’s about getting CN back to the table. The union doesn’t want to hurt anybody,” Montani said, adding the strikes would not disrupt commuter service.
GO Transit in Ontario has so far been able to run its trains without the labour dispute causing major problems.
Nearly 80 per cent of the United Transportation Union workers who cast ballots voted against the agreement Tuesday night. Voter turnout for the 2,800 members of the union was about 84 per cent.
The union’s Canadian leadership had recommended that members endorse the one-year deal, retroactive to Jan. 1, which was to provide a three per cent wage hike and $1,000 signing bonuses.
On Wednesday, workers will picket in Kamloops, B.C., and Vancouver, Sioux Lookout and Oakville in Ontario and Halifax
CN spokesman Mark Hallman said the company has a contingency plan.
“We’re going to provide the best level of service we can,” he said.
Picket co-ordinator David Moorhouse said workers want to send CN the message that more money and a safer workplace are key.
“We’re going to do what it takes to get CN back to the table. We don’t want to disrupt the network,” he said.
Strike took toll
But disruption is imminent — and will cost $75 million in goods each day, said Peter Xotta, director of business development with the Vancouver Port Authority.
The 15-day strike in February crippled freight service and took a serious toll on some industries.
CN’s conductors and yard-service workers walked off the job Feb. 10. But under the threat of federal back-to-work legislation, CN and striking members of the United Transportation Union later came to a tentative agreement.
The company had said it would use management employees to keep the system running if the agreement was rejected by the members of the union.
In a statement Tuesday night, CN said its management officers would perform the work of striking UTU employees.
“CN is disappointed with the contract rejection announced today by the UTU,” said Hunter Harrison, CN’s president and CEO. “We believe the settlement was fair, equitable and consistent with collective agreements the company recently signed with another Canadian union.”
UTU International president Paul Thompson signalled he would sanction “intermittent and rotating strike actions” this time if the vote were rejected.
Back-to-work legislation might be held up because the House of Commons is on an Easter recess until next Monday.