CNR engineers union urged to accept binding arbitration
Federal Labour Minister Rona Ambrose is urging the union representing striking Canadian National Railway locomotive engineers to accept binding arbitration as management tried to keep the trains running Saturday.
Ambrose said in a statement she’s "disappointed" the Teamsters union and CN couldn’t reach an agreement before some 1,700 engineers across the country walked off the job Friday at midnight.
Despite sharing several railways in the GTA, CN representatives say GO Transit will not be affected by the engineers strike.
Ambrose said CN has already agreed to binding arbitration and the government is ready to appoint an arbitrator once the union gives its approval.
The Teamsters did not immediately respond Saturday to Ambrose’s statement.
The union has said a strike could have been postponed had the railway agreed to negotiate and not impose a 1.5 per cent wage increase and new mileage caps.
CN made contractual changes after three days of negotiations broke off Nov. 20 following 14 months of talks.
The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) responded by issuing a 72-hour strike notice, saying CN was effectively locking out employees by unilaterally changing the terms of the collective agreement.
TCRC president Daniel Shewchuk said in an interview Saturday that while the union made "substantial movement" during Friday’s talks, the railway wouldn’t budge.
The union has said raising the mileage cap – the maximum distance engineers can travel in one month – by 500 miles to 4,300 mileswould require some workers to work seven days a week, with no time off, and cause layoffs. CN says its locomotive engineers work on average 37 hours a week, and the new cap would increase that to 41 hours.