(Reuters distributed the following article on June 10.)
CALGARY, Alberta — Unionized traffic controllers for Canadian Pacific Railway said on Monday they may walk off the job or be locked out this month if the two sides fail to reach a settlement on wages and benefits.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers Rail Canada Traffic Controllers, representing about 200 workers at CP Rail, said its members have approved strike action and could be walking picket lines as early as June 18 as talks with Canada’s No. 2 railway are at a standstill.
Negotiations began last September and in March the government appointed a conciliator, which gave the two sides 60 days to reach a deal. That period ended on May 27 without a new agreement, the union said.
“Our union is seeking a pay scale similar to that of the Rail Canada Traffic Controllers employed by Canadian National Railway,” RCTC-BLE General Chairman J.E. Ruddick said in a statement.
Ruddick said the union, representing workers who monitor the movement of trains, rail inspection equipment and repair equipment, also opposed CP Rail’s proposed changes to work rules and the benefits package.
Shares in CP Rail closed up 5 Canadian cents at C$32.05 in Toronto on Monday.