Unifor reaches a tentative agreement with CN on 6 collective agreements
February 24, 2015
With just minutes left on the clock to avert a lock-out of 4,800 members, Unifor reached a tentative agreement with CN covering 6 different collective agreements, five that govern the wages and working conditions of members of Unifor National Council 4000. CN was preparing to lock-out workers at 23:00 (11 p.m.) local time on February 23, 2015.
Unifor National Council 4000 President Barry Kennedy said that it was an extremely stressful final few hours, but a deal finally came in to place for Council 4000’s 2,800 diverse membership at CN. Council 4000 represents clerical, hostlers, labourers, mechanics, Intermodal staff, excavator operators, CNTL Owner Operator truckers, and Locomotive Engineers and Conductors at Canada’s largest railway.
"This was my 5th time at the bargaining table with CN, and most definitely this was the most difficult and stressful for a variety of reasons. You never get everything you want to accomplish, or what your membership sets out for you at the onset of negotiations, but we did our best. All our bargaining committees worked extremely hard over the past five months, and in the case of CN Savage Alberta Railway, since March of 2013”, explained Kennedy. “I am pleased with various aspects of all five of our collective agreements, and that we were able to break the pattern that CN said we had to accept”, said Kennedy.
The final hours of bargaining were done in a hotel in Gatineau, Quebec, across the Ottawa River with a view of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa. Federal Labour Minister Kellie Leitch and the Director General of Federal Mediation Services Guy Baron sat at the bargaining table, along with Unifor National President Jerry Dias, CN's Chief Operating Officer Jim Vena and Vice President Human Resources Kim Madigan.
Further details on the new tentative agreements will be forthcoming, as well as dates and times for ratification of the new deals. Watch unifor4000.com for more details as it becomes available.
Unifor National Council 4000 President Barry Kennedy said that it was an extremely stressful final few hours, but a deal finally came in to place for Council 4000’s 2,800 diverse membership at CN. Council 4000 represents clerical, hostlers, labourers, mechanics, Intermodal staff, excavator operators, CNTL Owner Operator truckers, and Locomotive Engineers and Conductors at Canada’s largest railway.
"This was my 5th time at the bargaining table with CN, and most definitely this was the most difficult and stressful for a variety of reasons. You never get everything you want to accomplish, or what your membership sets out for you at the onset of negotiations, but we did our best. All our bargaining committees worked extremely hard over the past five months, and in the case of CN Savage Alberta Railway, since March of 2013”, explained Kennedy. “I am pleased with various aspects of all five of our collective agreements, and that we were able to break the pattern that CN said we had to accept”, said Kennedy.
The final hours of bargaining were done in a hotel in Gatineau, Quebec, across the Ottawa River with a view of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa. Federal Labour Minister Kellie Leitch and the Director General of Federal Mediation Services Guy Baron sat at the bargaining table, along with Unifor National President Jerry Dias, CN's Chief Operating Officer Jim Vena and Vice President Human Resources Kim Madigan.
Further details on the new tentative agreements will be forthcoming, as well as dates and times for ratification of the new deals. Watch unifor4000.com for more details as it becomes available.
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