(The Canadian Press circulated the following story on December 5.)
MONTREAL — The 4,000-member Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers officially merged with the Rail Conference of Teamsters Canada today, making their union the biggest in the rail industry, the Teamsters said.
Following the merger, Teamsters Canada will have almost 112,000 members. The North American organization, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, has 1.5 million members.
“All active rail transportation industry members will now benefit from a single and strong voice when it comes to negotiating with employers,” Francois Laporte, director of public relations and government affairs for Teamsters Canada, said in a news release.
“Railway workers understood that they had everything to gain by uniting and everything to lose by isolating themselves.”
The unions agreed to the merger several weeks ago. The merger was completed Friday.