Railway Labour Summit Meeting
February 14, 2014

Last summer during a special caucus meeting that was held by the union representatives that serve as members of the CN Pension Committee, the topic of conversation turned from pension matters to the various challenges that each of the unions were experiencing in representing their respective memberships employed at CN, Canada’s largest railway. During these conversations it became evident that everyone was sharing the same stories, the same issues, challenges and hardships. The common theme in these discussions: The morale in many CN workplaces is very low.
As this meeting wrapped up, everyone agreed how good it was to discuss each other’s concerns and share viewpoints in dealing with CN. It was unanimous that the unions should attempt to meet again for this purpose, but next time include all of the senior full time leadership, similarly to what was done in the Affiliated Railway Union (ARU) days.
As this meeting wrapped up, everyone agreed how good it was to discuss each other’s concerns and share viewpoints in dealing with CN. It was unanimous that the unions should attempt to meet again for this purpose, but next time include all of the senior full time leadership, similarly to what was done in the Affiliated Railway Union (ARU) days.
So after much discussion, dates have finally been set to hold such a meeting. Full time representatives from Unifor, United Steel Workers (USW), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), including the Canadian National Railway Police Association, will meet in Montreal on February 19 and 20, 2014. It has been dubbed the “Railway Labour Summit Meeting.”
The goal of these meetings is for the unions to discuss and strategize ways to work collaboratively on improving the working conditions and the treatment of employees at CN.
A summary of the meeting will be made available a short time following its conclusion.
The goal of these meetings is for the unions to discuss and strategize ways to work collaboratively on improving the working conditions and the treatment of employees at CN.
A summary of the meeting will be made available a short time following its conclusion.