CN, UTU reach tentative labour agreement

MONTREAL, QUEBEC- CN and the United Transportation Union (UTU) have signed a tentative labour contract covering approximately 2,600 conductors, assistant conductors, yard service employees and traffic coordinators in Canada.

Details of the three-year contract, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2004, are being withheld pending ratification by the UTU membership. In general, the agreement provides for wage, benefit and quality of work-life improvements.

“I am very pleased to have reached this agreement with the UTU after many months of hard work by both sides. Even more so, I’m heartened by the open dialogue and innovation that produced it. This agreement is a winning outcome for CN and the UTU," said E. Hunter Harrison, president and chief executive officer of CN.

“We believe this tentative agreement successfully addresses a range of UTU issues, including work-life quality for our members. It was a refreshing and productive bargaining process with management that made this possible," said John Armstrong, vice-president of the UTU.