CN’s conductors, yardmen and yard masters reached a collective agreement with their employer on Oct. 1, following a month of negotiations in September. 

The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) emerged from negotiations on Oct. 1, having successfully reached a deal they were happy with. 

Bryan Boechler, general chairperson with the TCRC, said the union was successful during the negotiations, and were not required to make any concessions. 

“In simple terms, we gave up nothing,” he said. 

The union employees will now have a better understanding of when they will work. 

According to a TCRC letter posted during negotiations on the union’s website www.teamstersrail.ca, “Employees on pools and spareboards will now have a better idea of when they will be called and they will not have to protect 24 hours per day.”

In addition, proposed changes to their mileage cap and rest mandate, which decides how long a break the employees have between long shifts, were left as they were. CN workers are entitled to 24 hours of rest based on each person’s judge of their conditions when at home, and eight hours when away. According to Boechler in early September, CN was trying to change that to government regulations, which are set at eight hours rest between shifts when an employee is at home, and only six hours when away. The union won the right to keep their original rest provisions. 

The agreement will see wages increase by 2.4 per cent, 2.6 per cent and 3 per cent, and increases to short term disability, dental benefits and to the maximum lifetime benefit limit. More information can be found at the TCRC website.

The sessions took place within the 21 day period, set out at the beginning of September, over three sessions. 

Boechler calls the negotiations a big victory. 

“We’re pleased with this collective agreement,” he said. 

The union will still have to vote on whether to accept the collective agreement or not. A ratification vote will be tallied within a month of the Oct. 1 negotiations. Boechler said the vote should be tallied and an announcement will be made on Nov. 24. He does not foresee the union members declining the collective agreement. 

“We would never sign a collective agreement if we didn’t think it was a good one,” Boechler said. 

In the event the agreement was turned down, Boechler said the TCRC would return to the bargaining table with CN. 

The TCRC represents 2,700 conductors, yardmen and traffic co-ordinators across Canada, including an estimated 75 to 85 in the Jasper/Hinton area.