WESTERN PRODUCER — Workers at Canadian Pacific Railway who were served notice of a workplace lockout beginning March 20 say they will remain at the negotiating table before and after a lockout occurs in hopes of reaching an agreement with the country's second largest railway company.
Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), which represents roughly 3,000 workers at CP including locomotive engineers, train conductors and rail yard workers, says it is committed to working with federal mediators and reaching a negotiated settlement.
CP announced yesterday that TCRC workers will be locked out if a negotiated settlement is not reached by Sunday.
In a news release announcing the lockout, CP said it has been meeting daily with TCRC leadership and federal mediators in hopes of avoiding a labour disruption.
Despite those talks, the two sides remain "far apart," the company added.
For the sake of our employees, our customers, the supply chain we serve and the Canadian economy that is trying to recover from multiple disruptions, we simply cannot prolong for weeks or months the uncertainty associated with a potential labour disruption," said Keith Creel, CP's president and chief executive officer.
"The world has never needed Canada's resources and an efficient transportation system to deliver them more than it does today," Creel continued.
"Delaying resolution would only make things worse. We take this action with a view to bringing this uncertainty to an end."
Last month, TCRC members at CP voted 96.7 percent in favour of strike action, if necessary.
TCRC workers at the Calgary-based railway company have been in a position to issue a strike notice since March 13.
CP pre-empted a worker-initiated strike notice March 16 by issuing a 72-hour lockout notice.
The workplace lockout will take effect March 20, a second after midnight, unless an agreement is reached before then.
In a subsequent news release, TCRC said "the union is willing to remain at the bargaining table until the March 20 lockout deadline and beyond."
Key issues in the dispute include wages, benefits, pensions and work rules, TCRC added.
"We remain committed to reaching an acceptable agreement that addresses our members issues," said Dave Fulton, spokesperson for TCRC.
"Our members are fully engaged and will be ready in the event CP carries out the (lockout) notice."
The looming threat of a work stoppage at CP has drawn criticism from Canada's agriculture and fertilizer industries.
Stakeholders in those industries fear that a disruption to rail service in advance of the spring seeding season could throw fertilizer deliveries further behind schedule and have costly consequences for farm productivity.
Government mediators with Canada's Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) have been facilitating talks between TCRC and CP in hopes of averting a rail service disruption.
Mediation efforts were expected to continue this week.
In a TCRC news release, Fulton said union leaders were expecting CP to force a work stoppage.
"At the bargaining table, CP continues to dismiss our members' demands and are unwilling to negotiate the issues they have created," he added.
In its March 16 news release, CP said it has already presented an offer that addresses a total of 26 outstanding issues, including an offer to resolve the TCRC's key issues of wages, benefits and pensions through final and binding arbitration.
According to the company, TCRC leadership rejected CP's offer and continues to seek untenable pension adjustments.
CP has commenced its work stoppage contingency plan and will work with customers to achieve a smooth, efficient and safe wind-down of Canadian operations, the company said.
"We are deeply disappointed that we find ourselves in this situation," Creel sad.
"CP will continue to bargain in good faith, with the TCRC leadership to achieve a negotiated settlement or enter binding arbitration," he continued.
"The Canadian economy could avoid all the pain and damage of a work stoppage if the TCRC would agree to binding arbitration, an outcome we continue to push for."
Federal labour minister Seamus O'Regan issued a statement late March 16 saying the federal government strongly encourages the two sides to make necessary compromises and reach a deal that's fair to the company and TCRC members.
"Our government respects and has faith in the collective bargaining process, because we know that the best deals are the ones reached by the parties at the bargaining table," O'Regan said.
"The minister of transport, Omar Alghabra, and I understand the impacts of a potential work stoppage and are monitoring the situation closely. We are encouraged to see that both parties are still negotiating," O'Regan added.
"We have been in touch with the parties directly, urging them to work together to resolve their issues and reach a deal as quickly as possible, and will continue to do so."
