(The following report by Tess Kalinowski appeared on the Globe and Mail website on April 12.)
TORONTO — Commuters who rely on GO trains won’t face service disruptions despite a decision by the Canadian National Railway to lock out workers at three Toronto-area rail yards, as well as in Vancouver.
Although CN has announced a lockout of some employees at job sites in Oakville, Aldershot and Brantford, GO trains will not be affected, said officials of both companies and the union.
The commuter stations are separate from the CN yards, said GO’s Stephanie Sorensen.
About 100 CN conductors who work on GO trains, all members of the United Transportation Union, are among the rail company’s 2,800 striking employees. CN owns the tracks used by six GO routes.
Late Tuesday, the union solidly rejected a tentative agreement reached with CN in February.
The lockout affects yards in Ontario and Vancouver where workers had “engaged in rotating labour action,” said company spokesperson Mark Hallman. Since CN relies on fixed timetables, the company can’t program operations “without scheduled manpower,” he said.
Earlier yesterday, union leaders said they were committed to keeping commuter trains running. Hallman confirmed union assurances for commuter service in Toronto and Montreal.
CN conductors struck in February but continued to staff GO trains. While a tentative deal was agreed to – as federal back-to-work legislation loomed – the union never officially ended the strike, the union’s Bob Sharpe said yesterday.