As negotiations continue in Montreal, members of Unifor, Canada’s largest union on the private sector and representing VIA Rail’s on-board service personnel, chefs, sales agents and customer staff, issued a strike mandate
Canada’s public passenger railway VIA Rail has been pulled back from pandemic-induced oblivion by a federal government now framing the scheme for a dedicated, electrified right-of-way linking Quebec City and Toronto as a certainty for the first time since the project was first revealed in 2015.
VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) has ratified collective agreements with Unifor Council 4000, the union representing more than 1,600 employees in stations, on board trains, in call centers and in administrative offices.
VIA Rail Canada has reported reaching tentative agreements on a two-year contract renewal for more than 2,400 of its employees, who are represented by Unifor and serve as maintenance workers, on-board service personnel, chefs, sales agents and customer service staff.
Canadian Pacific Railway and Unifor have ratified a new four-year labor agreement.
The largest Canadian freight railroad said that it has reached agreement following negotiations with a key union in its nationwide network.
CN said on Feb. 18, 2015 that the Unifor union, which represents approximately 4,800 CN employees in mechanical, intermodal, clerical and other areas in Canada, “continues to reject a fair company offer to reach a new collective agreement in line with settlements it has negotiated with three other unions.”