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MWED/CPR Negotiations | |  |
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Rail Service in
Jeopardy
Source: TCRC MWED
Published: April 2nd 2007
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OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - April 2, 2007) -
Talks ended Friday, March 30, in the dispute
between the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference-
Maintenance of Way Employees Division (TCRC MWED)
and Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) without an
agreement being reached. No further dates have
been set for bargaining.
The parties had been negotiating since July,
2006 and were also involved in Federal Mediation
and Conciliation which ended April 1, 2007.
Their last collective agreement expired on
December 31, 2006.
The Union could be in strike position as early
as April 25th, 2007.
The TCRC MWED represents over 3,000 hard working
men and women employed in the CPR's maintenance
of way department. These are the people who
build, inspect and maintain the tracks, bridges
and structures for the safe operation of trains
and rail traffic.
The main areas of contention are compensation,
seniority, safety, equity and quality of life
issues.
CPR has advertised record profits over the past
years, with 2006 as the highest in their
history. The maintenance of way employees are
among the lowest paid in the company.
"We are committed to bargaining a fair and
equitable contract and have been trying to do
just that. But it takes the desire of both
parties to achieve a negotiated settlement."
said William Brehl, President of the TCRC MWED.
"We do not want a strike, we want an agreement.
A fair agreement."
"However we are also concerned that the company
will attempt to keep up its high speed and high
volume rail traffic in the event of a legal work
stoppage, endangering the lives and properties
of thousands of Canadians. In light of all the
derailments reported in the media and the damage
and danger they represent, we are praying that
the CPR does not try to run its regular
complement of trains without a full and properly
trained workforce to protect them. |
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