CP, CN and CNTL Bargaining Update - Conciliation
November 12, 2014
Since the official openings, the bargaining committees of Local 100, 101R and National Council 4000 have been meeting with the respective corporation presenting our bargaining proposals and dealing with the grievance load.
While we’ve made some progress settling various grievances at CN, unfortunately there has been new cases of disciplinary action which will require the union to redirect some resources in the coming weeks. We have made little headway on our bargaining proposals although discussions have been cordial. Both Council 4000 and Local 100 met with CN last week in Montreal and Toronto respectively, and at the conclusion of these sessions, CN unilaterally filed a "Notice of Dispute" pursuant to section 71 of the Canada Labour Code on all Unifor CN bargaining units with the Ministry of Labour. In their request to appoint a conciliation officer, CN cited that there are difficulties at bargaining and that all demands remain outstanding. The company's application advised that they seek modifications to work rules, and removal of restrictions in order to improve efficiency, reduce costs and improve customer services. In other words, CN is seeking concessions which they have yet to outline with any specificity to the bargaining committees.
The request to appoint a conciliation officer is only unusual in this instance because the request was made by the employer and not the union. As we understand, CN Rail has also submitted a “notice of dispute” with other unions they are presently involved with in negotiations, perhaps with the intentions of fabricating a fictitious crisis in the industry, hoping to invite government intervention. Unifor President Jerry Dias responded that we will not alter our bargaining strategy and we will challenge any and all attempts by the federal government to interfere in our contract negotiations.
At CP Rail, while we are achieving some grievance resolves, the grievance load continues to increase, particularly involving unwarranted or excessive discipline and unjustified suspensions and terminations. We will continue to be consistent in our demand that the corporation treat our shop floor representatives and members fairly and with respect.
On October 30th, CP tabled a document with Local 101R that contained significant concessions in every area of the agreement. As a consequence of our review of that document, Local 101R bargaining committee advised CP Rail on Friday November 7th, that the union will be filing a Notice of Dispute in the coming days requesting that a conciliation officer be appointed. We will be meeting with CP in a grievance resolve meeting on November 13th and 14th in Winnipeg.
CN and CP Rail have made significant gains in the last number of years with both railways excelling in revenue growth, productivity and in their profits. There is no legitimate argument from either of these corporations to be seeking concessions and we are determined to make significant progress in this round. We will continue to provide bargaining updates and information on conciliation and timelines of this legal process in future RailLine issues.
Source: Unifor RailLINE
Related:
While we’ve made some progress settling various grievances at CN, unfortunately there has been new cases of disciplinary action which will require the union to redirect some resources in the coming weeks. We have made little headway on our bargaining proposals although discussions have been cordial. Both Council 4000 and Local 100 met with CN last week in Montreal and Toronto respectively, and at the conclusion of these sessions, CN unilaterally filed a "Notice of Dispute" pursuant to section 71 of the Canada Labour Code on all Unifor CN bargaining units with the Ministry of Labour. In their request to appoint a conciliation officer, CN cited that there are difficulties at bargaining and that all demands remain outstanding. The company's application advised that they seek modifications to work rules, and removal of restrictions in order to improve efficiency, reduce costs and improve customer services. In other words, CN is seeking concessions which they have yet to outline with any specificity to the bargaining committees.
The request to appoint a conciliation officer is only unusual in this instance because the request was made by the employer and not the union. As we understand, CN Rail has also submitted a “notice of dispute” with other unions they are presently involved with in negotiations, perhaps with the intentions of fabricating a fictitious crisis in the industry, hoping to invite government intervention. Unifor President Jerry Dias responded that we will not alter our bargaining strategy and we will challenge any and all attempts by the federal government to interfere in our contract negotiations.
At CP Rail, while we are achieving some grievance resolves, the grievance load continues to increase, particularly involving unwarranted or excessive discipline and unjustified suspensions and terminations. We will continue to be consistent in our demand that the corporation treat our shop floor representatives and members fairly and with respect.
On October 30th, CP tabled a document with Local 101R that contained significant concessions in every area of the agreement. As a consequence of our review of that document, Local 101R bargaining committee advised CP Rail on Friday November 7th, that the union will be filing a Notice of Dispute in the coming days requesting that a conciliation officer be appointed. We will be meeting with CP in a grievance resolve meeting on November 13th and 14th in Winnipeg.
CN and CP Rail have made significant gains in the last number of years with both railways excelling in revenue growth, productivity and in their profits. There is no legitimate argument from either of these corporations to be seeking concessions and we are determined to make significant progress in this round. We will continue to provide bargaining updates and information on conciliation and timelines of this legal process in future RailLine issues.
Source: Unifor RailLINE
Related:
- Nov 4, 2014 Unifor Bargaining Update: CN Mechanical and CN Savage Alberta Railway
- Oct 20, 2014 Unifor Council 4000 CN Bargaining Updates
- Sep 29, 2014 Unifor’s Rail Locals open negotiations with Canada's largest railways
- Sep 29, 2014 Unifor National Council 4000 CNTL Bargaining Survey Results
- Jul 28, 2014 Results of the Unifor National Council 4000 CN Bargaining Survey
- Jul 19, 2014 Unifor Council 4000 negotiates new truck specifications with CNTL
