Unifor Council 4000 negotiates new truck specifications with CNTL
July 19, 2014
Union National Council 4000 and CN Transportation Ltd. (CNTL) have negotiated new terms with respect to the truck specifications (specs) required for trucks entering and operating in the CNTL fleet. CNTL is a subsidiary of Canadian National Railway Co. (CN).
The present requirements are that trucks must not be less than five years old at the time of replacement or at the time when an Owner Operator is hired (contracted) by the Company. Once in the fleet, trucks that become 10-years of age from the date of manufacture must be replaced. However, members may seek an exemption from this rule and obtain a two-year extension at which point the tractor would have to be replaced upon 12-years of age from the date of manufacture. This exemption is conditional on the truck meeting the service and maintenance requirements and standards of CNTL, and at their discretion. Trucks must have a wheel base between 200 and 232 inches, however a grandfather clause existed at the time of ratification of the last collective agreement whereby trucks with a wheel base greater than 232 inches were permissible up until the replacement of such truck, at which time the wheel base on the new tractor would have to be compliant of the 200-232 inch rule. The permissible gross maximum weight was 19,250 lbs.
All tractors are to incorporate the CNTL paint scheme that came into effect in January 2007 – the black, red and white appearance resembling the look of a CN locomotive. Members whom were contracted with CNTL prior to January 29, 2007 could keep their tractor the previous white colour with proper CN/CNTL logos and broker number affixed on the truck.
The above are just a few examples of the current truck specs at CNTL. The biggest concern of all members with these specs was the financial burden of having to replace a truck every 10-years, 12 if you met the applicable standards for two extra years. Another burden was the five year rule when entering the fleet as a new Owner Operator or when purchasing a replacement tractor. These rules forced extra costs upon our membership which the Union felt were unnecessary, for a variety of reasons. They also made it more difficult for CNTL to hire new Owner Operators, which causes more outside cartage to supplement the CNTL fleet.
The new agreement, which became effective as of yesterday – July 18, 2014 – now sees the following changes:
All tractors are to incorporate the CNTL paint scheme that came into effect in January 2007 – the black, red and white appearance resembling the look of a CN locomotive. Members whom were contracted with CNTL prior to January 29, 2007 could keep their tractor the previous white colour with proper CN/CNTL logos and broker number affixed on the truck.
The above are just a few examples of the current truck specs at CNTL. The biggest concern of all members with these specs was the financial burden of having to replace a truck every 10-years, 12 if you met the applicable standards for two extra years. Another burden was the five year rule when entering the fleet as a new Owner Operator or when purchasing a replacement tractor. These rules forced extra costs upon our membership which the Union felt were unnecessary, for a variety of reasons. They also made it more difficult for CNTL to hire new Owner Operators, which causes more outside cartage to supplement the CNTL fleet.
The new agreement, which became effective as of yesterday – July 18, 2014 – now sees the following changes:
|
|
Previous Specs |
New Specs as of
July 18, 2014 |
|
Truck age at the time hired or at time of replacement > |
Less than 5-years of
age from the date manufactured |
Less than 8-years of age based on the model year, and
not date manufactured |
|
Maximum truck age at the time of replacement |
Less than 10-years from
the date of manufactured (A 2-year extension from the manufactured
date may be granted providing the truck meets service and maintenance
requirements and standards of CNTL) and replacement is due
on that date |
Less than 15-years of age based on the model year, and
not date manufactured, and replacement may be made up until December 31st
of the expiry year |
|
Wheel base |
Between 200 and 232
inches |
Shorter wheel base is
preferred, but the maximum wheel base has been extended to 240 inches |
|
Gross max truck weight |
19,250 pounds |
Lighter weight is
preferred, but the max weight has been increased to 19,500 lbs
|
|
Paint/Decal rebate |
Neither the Collective
Agreement nor Standard Contract contain provision for any paint/decal rebate
at the time a truck is replaced |
Each time a truck is
replaced, a $750.00 paint bonus is applicable
every 5-years |
In the event that the Company should alter the current colour scheme (or paint scheme) from the present black, red and white style that resembles a CN locomotive, the Company is still responsible for absorbing the initial cost of repainting a truck to the new colour scheme as in accordance Article 3.01 of the Standard Contract between the CNTL Owner Operator and CNTL. The above agreement does not change this obligation of the Company.
The new agreement on CNTL truck specifications will be incorporated into the Memorandum of Settlement upon the renewal of the next Collective Agreement between the parties, which will be negotiated later this year. This agreement will remain in effect for the life of that agreement once it is ratified by the CNTL membership.
In the web poll we posted on unifor4000.com this past week, 80% of the respondents to this poll – those members whom hired on with CNTL prior to January 29, 2007 – were in favour of forgoing their right to maintain a white coloured truck pursuant the previous agreement between the Union and CNTL in exchange for extending the truck age and increasing the wheel base and gross maximum truck weight.
Wesley Gajda, Regional Representative of Unifor National Council 4000, who is responsible for servicing our 840 members who are CNTL Owner Operators from coast-to-coast, was responsible for negotiating these significant improvements. "Since I was first elected to this position two years ago, this has been asked frequently of my office; can we do something to improve some of the specs in the standard contract and increase the life of our trucks", Gajda said. "Our membership has increased by some 300 members since I have been the Regional Representative, and quite frankly, we might have more members than what we have today had the truck specs been improved, as they have been today." Gajda went on to say that as for the white truck issue, the vast majority of members that he spoke with whom still have white trucks are okay with incorporating the new colour scheme in exchange for these improvements. "There are less than 60 members with white trucks, and many who were grandfathered to maintain a white truck actually converted to the new colour scheme," says Gajda. "And the new rebate is good; its something that is now enshrined in writing that will be applied consistently", says Gajda.
Barry Kennedy, President of Unifor National Council 4000, congratulated Wesley Gajda on a job well done. Kennedy said; "This was one of the reasons that we established a full time position to serve in the capacity of dedicated Regional Representative to service our growing Unifor membership at CNTL. Wes knows the trucking business very, very well. He is very experienced from his years as an Owner Operator, working all across North America. He is much more capable in addressing the needs of our members in these circumstances than, as an example, a person like me of my experience. I have never driven a big truck like that nor know the business end of being an Owner Operator... he does", explained Kennedy. "He also included all of our elected local leadership leading up to his negotiating these changes, the Chief Shop Stewards, who were also very enthusiastic to these changes. It removes a significant financial burden from off our membership in their business interests with CNTL," Kennedy said.
Click here to download or read the new agreement
The new agreement on CNTL truck specifications will be incorporated into the Memorandum of Settlement upon the renewal of the next Collective Agreement between the parties, which will be negotiated later this year. This agreement will remain in effect for the life of that agreement once it is ratified by the CNTL membership.
In the web poll we posted on unifor4000.com this past week, 80% of the respondents to this poll – those members whom hired on with CNTL prior to January 29, 2007 – were in favour of forgoing their right to maintain a white coloured truck pursuant the previous agreement between the Union and CNTL in exchange for extending the truck age and increasing the wheel base and gross maximum truck weight.
Wesley Gajda, Regional Representative of Unifor National Council 4000, who is responsible for servicing our 840 members who are CNTL Owner Operators from coast-to-coast, was responsible for negotiating these significant improvements. "Since I was first elected to this position two years ago, this has been asked frequently of my office; can we do something to improve some of the specs in the standard contract and increase the life of our trucks", Gajda said. "Our membership has increased by some 300 members since I have been the Regional Representative, and quite frankly, we might have more members than what we have today had the truck specs been improved, as they have been today." Gajda went on to say that as for the white truck issue, the vast majority of members that he spoke with whom still have white trucks are okay with incorporating the new colour scheme in exchange for these improvements. "There are less than 60 members with white trucks, and many who were grandfathered to maintain a white truck actually converted to the new colour scheme," says Gajda. "And the new rebate is good; its something that is now enshrined in writing that will be applied consistently", says Gajda.
Barry Kennedy, President of Unifor National Council 4000, congratulated Wesley Gajda on a job well done. Kennedy said; "This was one of the reasons that we established a full time position to serve in the capacity of dedicated Regional Representative to service our growing Unifor membership at CNTL. Wes knows the trucking business very, very well. He is very experienced from his years as an Owner Operator, working all across North America. He is much more capable in addressing the needs of our members in these circumstances than, as an example, a person like me of my experience. I have never driven a big truck like that nor know the business end of being an Owner Operator... he does", explained Kennedy. "He also included all of our elected local leadership leading up to his negotiating these changes, the Chief Shop Stewards, who were also very enthusiastic to these changes. It removes a significant financial burden from off our membership in their business interests with CNTL," Kennedy said.
Click here to download or read the new agreement
