Four of five groups of Canadian National Railway (CN) employees have voted to ratify the new collective labour deals that kept them from being locked out last month.
CN said Monday its unionized clerical/intermodal/fleet mechanic, CNTL and excavator-operator units, all represented by Unifor locals, have all voted in favour of agreements with 51-month terms.
The ratification voting process is “still underway” for the mechanical bargaining unit, including rail car and locomotive maintenance, repair and safety staff, represented by Unifor Local 100R, the union said Monday in a separate release.
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The agreement — reached shortly before CN’s lockout deadline on Feb. 23 — includes wage increases in each of its four years, Unifor said.
The union, which represents 4,800 CN employees overall, said the deal also provides for improvements to benefits, “stronger” job security and apprenticeship ratios, and “better rates” for drivers with CN’s trucking arm, CNTL.
CN said the agreements, which expire at the end of December 2018, will also revise work rules “to improve service and productivity.”
Unifor said the deal will also see the re-establishment of a joint health and safety committee, the inclusion of CN staff at its Savage Alberta Railway arm in the CN pension plan, and provisions for the “insourcing” of work as well as new jobs created.
The company and union also agreed to partner on a new community fund focused mainly on support for “philanthropic causes” related mainly to women’s equality and aboriginal issues, Unifor said.
“Gains”
CN chief operating officer Jim Vena said Monday the deals “were amicably negotiated and are good for CN and its employees.”
“We represent a wide range of members at CN and I’m pleased that we were able to move the bar for each group, so that by working together, everyone makes gains,” Unifor Council 4000 president Barry Kennedy said Monday.
“All Unifor committees remained united and judging by the high level of acceptance, our members have said job well done.”
Unifor national president Jerry Dias, in the same release, noted CN in 2014 grossed $12.1 billion in revenues. “With this set of negotiations, it was important for us to make gains for our members on every front, recognizing their efforts in CN’s success.”
According to Unifor, its members voted in favour of the deal 100 per cent in its CN Savage Alberta Railway group and Group 5.4; its 5.1 and 5.1 supplemental (intermodal) groups voted 80 per cent in favour; and its CNTL group voted 81 per cent in favour. — AGCanada.com Network
