Class I Briefs: CN, CPKC, NS
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
CN and Unifor-affiliated CNTL drivers have reached a tentative agreement. (Unifor Photograph)
CN subsidiary CNTL (CN Transportation Ltd.) reaches a tentative agreement with owner-operators affiliated with Unifor. Also, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) releases a video highlighting its 2023 Community Outreach and Mini-Train program events; and Norfolk Southern (NS) trains more than 5,400 first responders in 2023.
CN
CN subsidiary CNTL, which handles first- and last-mile trucking container pickup and deliveries, has reached a tentative agreement with owner-operators affiliated with Unifor, the Class I reported Jan. 17. This four-year agreement covers approximately 750 owner-operators under contract with CNTL in Canada until Dec. 31, 2027. The group is represented by Unifor National Council 4000.
“We are pleased that CNTL reached an agreement with Unifor and wish to thank the union for their hard work throughout this process,” CN Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Doug MacDonald said. “We believe that this deal is good for the owner-operators and will support business needs, ensuring that they can continue delivering critical first-mile and last-mile services.”
CNTL moves an average of 1.5 million containers per year between CN’s 23 intermodal terminals and customer locations.
CPKC
CPKC is celebrating its Community Outreach and Mini-Train program in a 2023 wrap-up video that it released on social media (watch above). The program helps raise awareness for rail safety in communities the Class I operates in and through, and events often include a quarter-scale train, with the “Little General” (based on a GE AC4400) or the “Puffer Belly Express.”
In 2023, CPKC employees volunteered more than 2,400 hours, attended 15 events, and reached an estimated 1.1 million people to share rail safety messages, reminding everyone to stay clear of tracks and trains. The “Little General” also showcased new livery for the railroad, which was formed in April 2023 with the merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern. The winning design was selected from five finalized options that were presented to all CPKC employees through an internal survey.
“Thank you to all who attended last year and gave a warm welcome to our beloved mini-trains!” CPKC reported via LinkedIn on Jan. 17. The 2024 mini-train schedule will be available this spring.
NS
NS in 2023 trained 5,413 first responders through its Operation Awareness & Response (OAR) program, the railroad reported Jan. 17. This included hands-on events across 15 cities with the Class I’s Safety Train.
“Our partnerships with first responders in our communities are an essential part of our safety mission,” NS said. “OAR connects first responders across our 22-state network with information and training, all to help them prepare for a potential rail incident.”
At safety training events, first responders not only learn in a “traveling” classroom, but also on specially equipped tank and flat cars. Training covers safety around the railroad; tank car identification and assessment; tank car valves and fittings; locomotive emergencies; responding to railroad emergencies; AskRail mobile app; and response strategies and tactics. At some events, NS also participates with first responders in full-scale safety drills.
Since the OAR program’s launch in 2015, NS has trained 45,454 first responders, and expects to train more than 5,000 in 2024.
“Our program is a great way for us to reach out and connect with the first responders serving our communities,” NS Director Hazardous Materials Robert Wood said. “Norfolk Southern’s own professionals are the instructors, and providing these trainings gives us the opportunity to build relationships with the local heroes working to keep their communities safe every day.”
In related developments, NS President and CEO Alan H. Shaw was joined by Georgia Gov. Brian P. Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp at a first responder safety training session to kick off National Safety Month last June, and the railroad broke ground last September on a new First Responder Training Center in East Palestine, Ohio.
