(Teamsters Canada Rail Conference and Via Rail issued the following joint press release on July 26, 2009.)
MONTREAL —VIA Rail Canada and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) have reached an agreement to go into binding arbitration. The parties have also announced that VIA train services will resume Sunday.
“The process proposed by the mediator will allow the parties to resolve outstanding issues and, most importantly, will get Canada’s passenger rail service up and running again for our customers,” said Paul Côté, VIA’s President and Chief Executive Officer.
The TCRC, which represents some 343 locomotive engineers and seven yardmasters at VIA, had been on strike since noon (EDT) on Friday, July 24, 2009.
“The negotiations have been challenging and we appreciate the support shown by our members during this process. We look forward to having our members back on the trains,” said Dan Shewchuk, President of the TCRC.
Service will resume starting late on Sunday, with full service on most routes by Monday morning.
Layoffs of other VIA unionized employees prompted by the strike are cancelled.
Service resumption details will be posted at viarail.ca. Customers may also contact VIA at 888 VIA-RAIL (888 842-7245) or 800 268-9503 (hearing impaired).
VIA and the TCRC sincerely regret any inconvenience that this situation may have caused for customers.
About Teamsters Canada
The Teamsters Union represents 125,000 members in Canada in all trades. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, with which Teamsters Canada is affiliated, has 1.4 million members in North America.
About VIA Rail Canada
As Canada’s national passenger rail service, VIA Rail Canada provides efficient, environmentally sustainable and cost-effective transportation services to more than 450 communities, with a network of inter-city, transcontinental and regional remote trains operating across the country.