(The Squamish Chief posted the following article by John French on its website on May 9.)
SQUAMISH, B.C. — Rob Hurren and other BC Rail (BCR) employees are used to hearing talk of the rail shops in Squamish being downsized or eliminated.
Now more than ever, that fear is very relevant as the provincial government inches toward releasing a request for proposals (RFP) from companies interested in managing the rail company.
As a local leader of the Canadian Auto Workers Union, Hurren has watched the number of BCR employees dwindle in Squamish. The B.C. Liberals said they wouldn t sell the Crown corporation, but by issuing the RFP, the lawmakers are able to get very close to selling the rail company without actually making the sale.
The latest move by the provincial government has left Hurren and other BCR workers, contractors, suppliers and managers wondering how a new operator will structure the employment scenario at the company.
At least one of the companies interested in operating BCR, Canadian National Railways, has said publicly that it thinks pulling up the rail lines in the Squamish area is a potential future option.
Such a move would be disastrous for the employees who work at the BCR shops in Squamish and the port operations at Squamish Terminals.
Ron Anderson of Squamish Terminals confirmed on Monday that if the tracks were ripped up through Squamish, there would be no way the local port could continue to operate.
But Anderson is confident that the rails won t be eliminated. I have been given assurances from various people within the government that that is not going to be the case, he said.
The people that first put BC Rail in had an intent to open up B.C. s north and south and they were successful in that, he said. It is the lifeblood to a number of communities.
Anderson believes that if the southern portion of the line was removed entire communities, Squamish and Lillooet for example, will be very negatively impacted.
He said it is a long-term potential affect and not the impact on single businesses that will convince the province to keep the line intact.
Anderson said it doesn t really matter who is operating the line because the freight is going to move. There is still going to be a railway, they re still going to move the freight and we re going to be an integral part of the system, he said.
Mayor Ian Sutherland is on a committee with other mayors along the rail line. The committee of mayors was formed in Prince George last month and met in that northern city on May 5.
All the mayors agreed to insist that the integrity of the entire existing line must be maintained, said Sutherland at Tuesday s council meeting. The north-south line is vital to B.C. and the Sea to Sky corridor in particular.
Sutherland told members of Squamish council that the team of mayors wants the RFP to include language that ensures the long term preservation of the existing line.
Council decided to send a letter to the provincial government stressing the importance of maintaining the existing line and the section of track between North Vancouver and Lillooet in particular.
Coun. Raj Kahlon is worried about the future of the southern section of the line. Kahlon told council that many times he has heard what he called rumours about the future of line south of Lillooet.
According to Hurren, the leg between North Vancouver and Clinton is expensive to maintain because it goes through two mountain ranges and he also said the southern section generates little revenue.
Bob Sharpe, the Chair of the Council of Trade Unions on BC Rail (CTU), is very concerned about the future of BCR and the future of its workforce.
He and his council are trying to block the RFP or at least slow it down so the issue can be looked at closely.
We are trying to get meetings with people because nobody is speaking on behalf of the people on this railway, Sharpe said. Are these jobs going to stay in B.C.? We are not convinced that it [the Crown Corporation] needs to be sold.
Hurren and Sharpe both emphatically point out that financially, BCR had a good year.
While the Liberals maintain the company isn t being sold, Sharpe doesn t see things that way. We feel it is being sold, he said. Meantime, Sharpe feels the RFP is impacting talks aimed at finalizing a collective agreement.
The contract expired Dec. 31. Talks held so far have not produced an agreement and no new discussions are scheduled.
According to Hurren, there are only two issues keeping the sides from an agreement. Wages and term were the only issues left, said Hurren. We went to the table looking for some security in light of this sale. BC Rail came to the table with a bunch of concession demands.
Along with the concession demands, Hurren said the company isn t prepared to give the workers any raises in the next three years.
Hurren said that the company scrapped the employee bonus plan and then sweetened the bonus plan for the managers.
Paul Straszak, BCR Director of Labour Relations, won t talk about the contract negotiations. We have a strong policy of not discussing what is happening at the bargaining table to those outside of the bargaining table, he said.