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Last night, Teamsters railway workers at CN and CPKC were locked out.
Our union stands in solidarity with Teamsters members.
Unifor, Canada’s largest union in the private sector, represents workers at the profitable and powerful CN and CPKC and will soon bargain for our own contracts.
Rail companies are textbook examples of monopolies in the Canadian economy.
What’s more, they are companies who operate in a country where there is a growing frustration among workers due to rising cost of living, economic inequities and lack of safety on the job. Workers across regions and sectors today demand nothing less than fair treatment and respect at work.
Both CN and CPKC have deliberately brought what should have been a routine round of bargaining to the brink of chaos, putting profits ahead of Canadian workers and communities.
Their true objective is to beat back new gains for workers in Canada. They have opposed new federal anti-scab legislation and increases in paid sick days. Through their national lobby organizations (FETCO, Railway Association of Canada), they have publicly campaigned against fair and free collective bargaining and workers’ Constitutional right to strike.
CN and CPKC have provoked a crisis as a means to reshape labour relations to their advantage, clinging to a 1950s approach that has no place in this country today.
Their tactics reveal a blatant disregard for the collective agreements that should guide their interactions with workers. Instead, our members see a deliberate effort to create a toxic work environment.
In light of this situation and for the best interest of the workers who keep the trains moving, Unifor calls on CN and CPKC to return to the bargaining table immediately and negotiate.
Unifor members across the country stand ready to support Teamsters members in their fight for a fair collective agreement, a Charter-protected right.
Together, we will continue the struggle for justice, respect, and fair treatment for all workers.
In solidarity,
Lana Payne
Unifor National President
