(Source: Teamsters Canada press release, April 8, 2025)
Laval, QC, April 7, 2025 – The following statement is attributable to Paul Boucher, President, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference:
Today, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (Teamsters) received the arbitrator’s decision regarding the terms of its new collective agreement with Canadian National (CN).
The new three-year contract, expiring December 31, 2026, closely resembles the status quo and includes annual 3% wage increases.
The company failed to secure any concessions related to scheduling, rest, or fatigue protections. Due to the complexity of these matters, the arbitrator emphasized that these issues are best addressed through free collective bargaining – something the Teamsters have been advocating all along.
In our opinion, the arbitrator’s decision also underscores the importance of a full industrial review of labour relations in Canada’s rail sector. With rail companies likely to continue pushing for concessions on these key protections, the risk of a repeat of the previous round of bargaining remains high.
The Teamsters call on the federal government to immediately initiate a full industrial review of the rail industry. Such a review would promote long-term stability in the sector, address the root causes of labour unrest, and identify how Ottawa can better support more harmonious labour relations moving forward.
Teamsters Canada represents close to 135,000 workers in Canada in all industries from coast to coast.
Full story: Teamsters.ca