Collective Bargaining Updates

Bulletin 16        

This bulletin is to advise you that today FMCS has appointed William Kaplan as the arbitrator in the interest arbitration of our Collective Agreements with CPKC, including the Consolidated Collective Agreement, the Kawartha Lakes Railway Agreement, and the Kootenay Valley Railway Agreement.


 
Teamsters Appeal Binding Arbitration Order       

"These decisions, if left unchallenged, set a dangerous precedent where a single politician can bust a union at will. The right to collectively bargain is a constitutional guarantee. Without it, unions lose leverage to negotiate better wages and safer working conditions for all Canadians. We are confident that the law is on our side, and that workers will have their voices heard," said Paul Boucher, President, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference.


 
Negotiations Bulletin 15      

It has also come to our attention that the company has posted their final contract offer on CPKC Station, the CP Exchange app, and has placed physical copies in many workplaces. This offer was provided to your negotiating committee approximately 30 minutes prior to the start of the work stoppage on the evening of August 21, 2024. It was clearly communicated to the company that the offer was unacceptable.


 
Rail Workers Ordered Back to Work     

“This decision by the CIRB sets a dangerous precedent. It signals to Corporate Canada that large companies need only stop their operations for a few hours, inflict short-term economic pain, and the federal government will step in to break a union. The rights of Canadian workers have been significantly diminished today,” said Paul Boucher, President of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference.


 
Member Update - Lockout/Strike Position     

As you are all aware, on August 22nd Labour Minister MacKinnon issued referrals under Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code for all 3 affected TCRC Bargaining Committees (CPKC Running Trades, RCTC and CN Running Trades). To quote the documents, he has directed the CIRB to; (i) order (CPKC & CN) to resume operations and employees to resume their duties; (ii) assist the parties in reaching a settlement of the outstanding terms of their collective agreement by imposing final binding interest arbitration to resolve outstanding terms of the collective agreement; (iii) extend the term of the existing collective agreements until the new collective agreements are determined by the arbitrator.


 
Teamsters Take Down Picket Lines CN; CPKC Work Stoppage Ongoing    

The work stoppage at CPKC remains ongoing pending an order from the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB). Despite the Labour Minister’s referral, there is no clear indication that the CIRB will actually order an end to the labour dispute at CPKC.


 
Teamsters Statement    

Today, federal Labour Minister MacKinnon referred rail negotiations to the CIRB for binding arbitration. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference will review the Minister's referral and the CIRB's response, consulting with legal counsel to determine the next steps. Meanwhile, picket lines remain in place.


 
Negotiations Bulletin 14   

Members should now be manning the picket lines (0001 ET), and signs should indicate lockout/strike. We encourage the Strike Captains to call their respective contact person for any clarifications that may be required to ensure the members are getting the correct facts.


 
Negotiations Bulletin 13   

Today, the Honourable Minister of Labour, Mr. Steven MacKinnon met separately with the parties in Calgary and has conveyed a message encouraging the parties to reach a deal . We know what our membership needs to ratify an agreement and will work to achieve this. If a work stoppage does occur at 0001 ET Thursday,the above information, attachments, and previous protocols have been sent out to all local division executives and members.


 
Work Stoppage Protocol   

In order to commence an orderly exit of TCRC represented employees (Locomotive Engineers, Conductors, Train persons and Yard persons) in Canada, including employees of the Kootenay Valley Railway and Kawartha Lakes Railway, in the event of a work stoppage, the parties agree to the following:


 
Emergency Health Benefits  

Another update is to provide information regarding emergency health benefits during the work stoppage. As you should know, all health benefits currently in place with the carriers will cease during this time.

As a result, emergency health benefits have been secured and are attached below. It must be understood these benefits apply to emergency care only, which includes dental and major medical coverage. The claim form is also attached, or alternatively available by contacting a local Division Officer.


 
72-Hours-Notice 
We have served 72-Hours-Notice to withdraw our services, to be effective Thursday August 22 at 0001 Eastern Time, to protect the TCRC’s statutory and Charter protected rights to engage in a lawful strike. We are continuing to bargain with the Company and will remain at the table as long as it takes. Your bargaining committee remains committed to achieving an agreement that is acceptable and in line with the demands received by each Division. 
 
Teamsters Vote To Reauthorize Strikes At CN And CPKC
Laval, QC, June 29, 2024 - The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) today announced that close to 10,000 workers at CN and CPKC have voted to reauthorize strikes at both companies, if negotiated settlements cannot be reached. 
 
Subsequent Strike Vote
June 11, 2024 – The following is a quick update on National negotiations, and next steps required to protect the overwhelming strike mandate provided by the membership on May 1st.  
 
CN and CPKC Reject Offer to Stagger Negotiations
Ottawa, June 7, 2024 – Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) rejected a proposal from the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) to stagger negotiations with both companies by two weeks. The move would avoid simultaneous work stoppages at CN and CPKC, significantly reducing the economic impacts from any disruptions to the supply chain from a strike or lock out. 
 
Negotiations - Bulletin #10
May 22nd 2024 - As you are probably aware, Federal Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan has requested that the Canadian Industrial Relations Board assess whether the strike could pose safety implications. He stated that the request was prompted by concerns from industry groups. The board is set to examine what, if any, critical shipments must continue in the event of a strike or lockout. The Union and Company submissions were submitted on May 21 and rebuttals must be submitted by May 31. It is unclear exactly how long the review could last, which means that the earliest a strike/lockout can commence is at least 72 hours after the CIRB has made their decision.
 
All TCRC Members
May 11th 2024 - This is an update regarding Federal Minister of Labour Seamus O’Regan, exercising his rights under the Canada Labour Code and the impact of such actions on our current collective agreement negotiations.    
 
NDP Calls On The Government To Support Rail Workers
May 3rd 2024 - The rail workers have raised serious concerns that must be addressed. It’s troubling that Canada’s two largest railways seem to be collaborating to undermine longstanding collective agreements. The safety of workers, communities and the environment are at stake in these negotiations.   
 
Message from Seamus O'Regan 
May 3rd 2024 - A message from Seamus O'Regan to unions and employers on a possible work stoppage at CN and CPKC Rail.  
 
All TCRC Members
May 2nd 2024 - As an update on next steps, we have previously outlined the timeline involved in the Canada Labour Code regarding the collective bargaining process. On April 30th the conciliation phase concluded and was not extended. This means the parties have begun the 21 day “cooling off” period, however in reality that is not an accurate description of what will be transpiring. 
 
Negotiations - Bulletin #9
May 1st 2024 - After negotiating in Toronto this week, we were unsuccessful in achieving an agreement during the conciliation process with FMCS. The Company declined to continue the conciliation process, so this ends the conciliation portion of bargaining based on the code. We will continue to participate in a mediation process with the assistance of the Federal Mediators. The next planned dates for negotiations are Friday May 17 and continuing wherein the Union will be working towards a negotiated settlement based on the memberships’ proposals.
 
Strike Vote Results

May 1, 2024 - The strike vote at CN and CPKC concluded today at noon and the results are :Overall % of return for the 3 bargaining units : 98%


 
Negotiations - Bulletin #8

April 24th 2024 - As communicated in the previous bulletin, electronic strike ballots were sent out with voting ending on May 1, 2024 at 1200 EDT. We urge everyone eligible to cast their vote, if not done already, to send a clear and strong message to the Company of the membership’s support.

No doubt you have been reading the information distributed by CP regarding collective bargaining which they have sent to customers as well. Simply put the company is not doing everything it can to avoid a work stoppage and once again have chosen to blame the TCRC leadership. CP has publicly stated they are bargaining in good faith, but it is clear with the multiple unfair labour practice complaints filed with the Canadian Industrial Relations Board by the Union, that they are not


 
Negotiations - Bulletin #7

March 28th 2024 - As communicated in the previous bulletin, conciliators from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service were appointed to assist the parties in the context of our negotiations with CPKC. Meetings took place in their presence on March 27th and 28th.

We have made very little progress on negotiations. CPKC continues to advance their Options #1 and #2, while your negotiating committee has provided comprehensive demands for significant wage increases as well as improved work-life balance provisions.


 
Negotiations - Bulletin #6

March 18th 2024 - As everyone is aware, CPKC served Notice of Dispute and the Minister of Labour has appointed Conciliation Officers from Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services.


 
Work Stoppage - Earliest Date

March 8th 2024 - This letter is to inform you that I have miscalculated the 81-day period of this process. The confirmed earliest date that a work stoppage can occur is 00:01 on May 22nd of this year.


 
Letter #2 - All TCRC Members

March 1st 2024 - This update is further to the membership letter sent February 19th, 2024 on behalf of the 3 Bargaining Committees currently in active negotiations (Running Trade members at CPKC and CN, Rail Traffic Controllers at CPKC). In that update we reported the state of negotiations and that we were awaiting the appointment of Conciliation Officers due to the concerted efforts of both carriers.


 
TCRC Bulletin #5

February 28, 2024 - Your TCRC Negotiating Committee was informed earlier today of CPKC’s intention to send a mailout to all members containing a letter regarding the status of negotiations as well as two contract options that were presented to the Union. Some of our members may have already received this mailout.


 
CPKC and CN served Notice of Dispute

February 19, 2024 - As you are likely aware the TCRC is in an unprecedented position of having 3 major Collective Agreements expire on December 31st, 2023 (Running Trade members at CPKC and CN, Rail Traffic Controllers at CPKC). All three bargaining committees commenced negotiation talks in the fall and have continued to make every good faith effort to attain agreement(s) that the membership would ratify. Unfortunately, it has become very clear that the carriers do not have that same objective.


 
TCRC Bulletin #4

February 2, 2024 - Your TCRC Negotiating Committee met with CPKC over this past week in Western Canada. The Union continued to discuss and clarify our demands including discussions on the KLR (east) and the KVR (west) Collective Agreements.


 
TCRC Bulletin #3

December 21, 2023 - Your TCRC Negotiating Committee were scheduled to meet with CPKC over three days (December 18, 19, 20) in Eastern Canada. The Company continued with their demands, which includes removal of many long standing Collective Agreement provisions.


 
TCRC Bulletin #2

November 24, 2023 - On November 21 to 23, 2023, along with TCRC President Paul Boucher and TCRC Vice President Ryan Finnson, the Bargaining Committee met with the Company representatives to continue our negotiations in an effort to reach a settlement. We spent most of our time explaining our demands and further reviewing the Company’s demands. The Company had various questions regarding our demands, which we clarified in detail. We had several questions regarding their demands, to which they provided some answers.


 
TCRC Bulletin #1

September 22, 2023 - As you are all aware, the open period of our contract is upon us. Accordingly, on September 1, 2023, we informed the Company of our intent to negotiate and improve the Collective Agreement. On September 19, 2023, along with TCRC President Paul Boucher and TCRC Vice President Ryan Finnson, the Bargaining Committee met with the Company representatives to exchange our proposals and demands. Copies of both the Union proposals and Company demands are attached for your information and review. The documents will be translated and forwarded as soon as possible.


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