Unifor members ratify new agreement with Canadian National Railway

Unifor said on Sunday that its members at Canadian National Railway have ratified a new four-year collective agreement, averting a potential strike action.

Unifor, which represents more than 3,000 members at the railroad’s Council 4000 and Local 100 committees, said the agreement includes improvements to wages and benefits as well as job protections for members working in CN terminals and headquarters across Canada.

The railroad earlier this month had reached a new tentative four-year collective agreement with the union. These new four-year agreements include three per cent wage increases annually, CN said in a statement.

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“This agreement secures important gains that reflect the critical contributions of Unifor members to CN’s operations,” Unifor National President Lana Payne said in a statement.

“By working together with Unifor, we now have new agreements that strengthen our workforce and enhance our ability to serve customers reliably across North America,” said Tracy Robinson, CN’s president and chief executive officer in a statement today.

The ratification comes after Unifor members last month authorized a strike action if the parties failed to reach an agreement by Jan. 1.

The union had initiated negotiations with CN Rail in September, with bargaining priorities that included higher wages, addressing concerns about the pension plan and job security for its members.

— Reporting by Nilutpal Timsina in Bengaluru. Additional reporting by Geralyn Wichers, Glacier FarmMedia.