TCRC-Rail Canada Traffic Controllers ratify agreement with CP

Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
image description

The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference-Rail Canada Traffic Controllers (TCRC-RCTC) has ratified a labor agreement with Canadian Pacific Railway covering approximately 135 rail traffic controllers in Canada. The agreement was ratified with a record 94% of votes cast in favor.

The new contract runs from Jan. 1, 2015 to Dec. 31, 2020—six years, also a record—and was negotiated before expiration of the previous agreement.

TCRC-RCTC-represented dispatchers receive a 3% per year wage increase, along with other specific adjustments. CP agreed to make the increases effective July 18, the signing date. CP also restored the company contribution to the union’s Employee Share Purchase Plan benefit, effective the same date. CP Vice President of Human Resources and Labor Relations Peter Edwards said restoration of that benefit “is in keeping with the leadership shown by the union and members in this agreement.”

This is the fifth long-term collective agreement in place between CP and its Canadian unions. CP’s International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Teamsters Maintenance-of-Way (TCRC-MOW), Police (CPPA), and United Steel Workers (USW) employees have all ratified long-term deals with acceptance rates as high as 97.5%.

“The signing of this agreement is a landmark in many ways, and I think we all take some deep satisfaction from that,” said Edwards. “It is really a great example of what people working together can do to create positive results that few would have imagined possible before.”

CP currently has two other Canadian labor agreements open to negotiation: Unifor, which represents mechanical employees, and Teamsters (TCRC) representing train and engine service employees. CP has spoken with both unions and indicated a willingness to bargain and implement new agreements before the existing agreements expire.

Tags: , , , , ,