Teamsters ratify new labor contract for CN conductors, yard crews

The agreement, which is retroactive to July 2016, covers about 3,000 Canadian National Railway conductors represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference – Conductors, Trainpersons and Yardpersons union.    The Teamsters union and Montreal-based Class I Canadian National Railway (CN) have managed to avoid a potential strike by reaching an agreement on a new three-year contract, the two sides have confirmed.
   The agreement, which is retroactive to July 23, 2016, “provides wage increases and benefit improvements” to about 3,000 conductors represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference – Conductors, Trainpersons and Yardpersons union, or TCRC-CTY, CN said in a statement Tuesday.
   The union represents CN’s conductors and yard crews in Canada.
   “We are pleased to have completed this agreement,” said CN Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer Mike Cory. “This agreement is testament to the benefits of relationship building and we look forward to continuing to foster this relationship moving forward. Together, we reached this agreement without a labor disruption allowing us to continue providing quality service to our customers.”
   CN, Canada’s largest railway, spans the country from the East Coast province of Nova Scotia to British Columbia on the West Coast. It also has tracks traversing the central United States, from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.