Rail workers at CN and CPKC vote to reauthorize strike at railways, says Teamsters

Union members at CN and CPKC railways have voted to reauthorize strikes at both companies if negotiated settlements can't be reached. Canadian Pacific Railway trains sit at the main CP Rail train yard in Toronto on Monday, March 21, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

LAVAL, Que. — Union members at CN and CPKC railways have voted to reauthorize strikes at both companies if negotiated settlements can’t be reached.

Teamsters Canada says in a statement Saturday that union members at both railways voted almost 99 per cent in favour of reauthorized strike action.

The union says members previously voted in favour of strike action on May 1, but the 60-day time limit on the vote expired.

It says that meant it had to take the “unusual step” of holding a second strike vote.

Paul Boucher, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference president, says the union wants to go back to the bargaining table with its renewed strike mandate and work with federal government mediators.

The union says the rail companies are looking for concessions on crew schedules, work hours and fatigue management.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 29, 2024.

The Canadian Press