Teamsters Canada Rail Conference

Montréal, September 29, 2010 – Monday, CN finally filed its first official proposal since July 27, 2010 – two months ago - with the representatives of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC). The company’s demands, disguised as productivity and customer service improvements, would require employees to work many more miles each month and their tours of duty would reach the maximum number of allowable hours.

CN keeps referring to a three-year status quo agreement as a means to avoid a labour disruption, but this proposal is unacceptable given it does nothing to settle the main issues that TCRC members live on a daily basis.

“The importance of customer service and the status quo pale in comparison to the health and safety of the workers and Canadian population,” states Bryan Boechler, spokesperson for the bargaining committee of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference. “We must never lose sight of the fact that workers represent a company’s main asset.”

CN’s reinterpretation of the current work contracts has lead to the filing of thousands of grievances. Effectively, there is no status quo to be maintained, it changes everyday with every additional assault. It seems obvious that CN is trying to reinvent the collective agreements and overwhelm those to whom the company owes its success, i.e., the workers.

The company would prefer to remove provisions from the collective agreements that they repeatedly violate rather than seriously address them and try to find long-term solutions. And, contrary to CN’s suggestions, the Union does not see any of its proposals as impediments to productivity. CN already has the lowest operating ratio in the industry.

The proposal filed by the Teamsters Union is not only fair but also reasonable. It would allow employees to have a better idea of when they would be going to work so that they can be properly rested and prepared, minimizing or even negating fatigue based mistakes..

By failing to address the real issues at stake, CN is simply perpetuating a dysfunctional corporate culture that serves neither its own interests nor those of its shareholders, customers or workers.

“The fundamental question is what type of society do we want to live in? A society in which workers are continually pushed to exhaustion or a society that gives priority to health and safety issues?” asks the Teamsters spokesperson.

Thus, the battle currently waged by the 2,700 conductors, yardmen and traffic coordinators at CN is a fundamental struggle that goes beyond the rail carrier and touches all the Canadian population.

The Teamsters Union represents 125,000 members in Canada in all trades. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, with which Teamsters Canada is affiliated, has 1.4 million members in North America.

The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference represents more than 14,000 workers in all trades of the rail industry throughout the country.

Information:

Bryan Boechler, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference
Cell phone: (780) 691-3008
Office: (780) 485-0889
Email: tcrc-cty@telus.net
Website: teamstersrail.ca  

Stéphane Lacroix, Director of Communications, Teamsters Canada
Cell phone: (514) 609-5101
Office: (450) 682-5521 x236
Email: slacroix@teamsters.ca
Website: teamsters.ca