THUNDER BAY – Canadian Pacific Railway trains are standing still after a shutdown of railway operations that both CP Rail and Teamsters Canada Rail Conference claim is the other party’s fault.
“We are deeply disappointed that, in the final hours before a legal strike or lockout was to potentially occur, the TCRC Negotiating Committee failed to respond to the company’s latest offer that was presented to them by the federal mediators,” said Keith Creel, CP president and CEO in a release.
“Instead, the TCRC opted to withdraw their services before the deadline for a strike or lockout could legally take place. The TCRC is well aware of the damage this reckless action will cause to the Canadian supply chain.”
Jon Strapac, local chair for the TCRC in Thunder Bay, says that it was actually CP rail that made the first move by locking workers out.
“CP Rail said that we went on strike, however, they locked us out at triple-naught-one (12:01 a.m.) on Sunday. We have to put in our strike notice at the same time,” said
“No one wants to be out here. No one wants to be on the side of the road, not moving traffic, and we understand that people look at this and say, you know, this is a bad time. Any time is a bad time. We want to be out there. We want to be moving traffic. We want to be moving trains.”
The more than two dozen outstanding issues in the dispute include wages, benefits and pensions, but for local teamsters what’s most important is scheduling.
“Our biggest contentions right now would be our home life. The different things they’re trying to put into the contract are going to cause us to be away from home longer than necessary and that’s pretty bad already,” said Kim Dean, conductor engineer.
“Most of our trips going to Ignace and back, we’re away from home for 24 or 36 hours, and the new rule they’re trying to put in will have us away 36 to 48 or more, and then when we’re home, we’re only home for 24 hours.”
Dean also says that it’s next to impossible for workers to get enough rest due to the scheduling of on-call time.
“We have a two-hour notice to be at work and then because of how the lineups work and change frequently and are never updated properly, you may think you’re going to work at 6 a.m., you rested for that, and then you end up being home all day long and you’re going out at midnight or vice-versa,” said Dean.
“You think It‘s midnight, then all of the sudden, you’re getting a phone call at two in the afternoon and it’s very hard to rest for that and be prepared any time for your call.”
The Canadian Pacific Railway indicated representatives were not available for interview on Monday
