Unifor and CN begin negotiations

Unifor Council 4000 and Unifor Local 100 bargaining committees opened bargaining for a new collective agreement with CN this week in Montreal.

Unifor represents about 3,600 workers at Local 100 and Council 4000, who work at CN terminals and HQ across Canada, including mechanics, crane operators, machinists and electricians, as well as clerical and administration, customer support and fleet mechanics among others.

Unifor Local 100 and Council 4000’s collective agreement expires on Dec. 31, 2022.

Both sides exchanged proposals and have agreed to meet and continue negotiations in November and December. The union proposals include but are not limited to enhancements in wages and benefits and addressing the on-going issue of contracting out unionized work.

All 3,600 Unifor workers in Local 100 and Council 4000 are covered by five separate collective agreements – four of which will be negotiated during this current round of bargaining.

“The fact is that during a time of record inflation CN is reporting record quarterly earnings,” said Lana Payne, Unifor national president. “Without our members at the helm, this company wouldn’t have been able to get even close to that, and they deserve to be compensated fairly and treated with respect.”

“While they have been cutting jobs over the last few years, shareholder dividends and executive compensation has, nevertheless, continued to increase,” said Daniel Cloutier, Unifor Quebec director. “With high inflation rates CN must put the needs of workers first.”

“The goal of these negotiations is to make gains in benefits and wages that address the needs of our members who work hard to make CN the very profitable company it has become,” Dave Kissack, president of Unifor Council 4000.

“Local 100 represents skilled trades members who provide great value to CN and I look forward to negotiating a contract which recognizes our members and their contribution to the success of CN.” said Zoltan Czippel, president of Unifor Local 100.