CN Railway Union Files for Conciliation After Three Days of Talks

By Paul Vieira

OTTAWA-The union representing more than 3,000 technicians and mechanics at Canadian National Railway has filed for federal conciliation after only three days of talks on a new labor deal, saying that was required after the company revealed plans to lay off workers it represents.

Unifor, Canada's largest private-sector union, said Friday the move is aimed at moving negotiations toward a "positive direction," noting that a day after talks started the Montreal-based railroad said it was planning to shed 65 Unifor members.

The railroad "came to the table with demands for concessions that would undermine our members' rights and working conditions," said Unifor President Lana Payne. "Our mandate is clear: to improve the working conditions of our members, not to roll back hard-earned gains from previous rounds of bargaining."

Payne said the union hopes talks can move in a positive direction with a conciliator.

With the filing, Canada's Labor Minister has to decide whether to appoint a conciliation officer to assist CN Railway and Unifor in reaching an agreement. The current labor agreements applying to CN Railway workers represented by Unifor expire on Dec. 31. A spokesman for Canada's Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon was not immediately available for comment.

CN Railway said it was disappointed with Unifor's request early into the negotiation process, but the company remains committed to reaching negotiated agreements.

MacKinnon last month ordered an end to a work stoppage at Canada's two main railroads, CN Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, saying an arbitrator would resolve disagreements between the companies and a Teamsters union that had disrupted freight traffic and supply chains across North America.

Write to Paul Vieira at paul.vieira@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 27, 2024 14:14 ET (18:14 GMT)

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