A strike against CP Rail, scheduled to start April 21, was called off at the last minute after unions representing rail workers agreed to vote on the company’s latest offer. “This is tremendous news for our employees, our customers and the Canadian economy,” said CP’s Chief Executive Officer Keith Creel.
Any steps the company has already taken to prepare for the strike, will now be reversed as part of a “safe and structured start-up of operations”. However, ratification of CP’s offer is unlikely, as union leaders say it should be rejected because the key issues for rail workers – fatigue and wages – are not addressed. “The government will bring this ridiculous offer to our members and we strongly recommend that members vote against it,” said Doug Finnson, President of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, which represents about 3,000 train conductors and engineers. More than 8,000 grievances have been filed against CP by the two unions representing the workers: Teamsters Canada and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
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