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Rail workers in Kamloops hit picket lines Thursday before binding arbitration ordered by feds
KAMLOOPS — Picket lines were up across Canada on Thursday as both CPKC and CN Rail workers were locked out, triggering job action before the federal government stepped in to force binding arbitration.
Nearly 10,000 engineers, conductors and yard workers were off job across the nation with workers in Kamloops picketing along Lorne Street at the CPKC yard, and further north at the CN yard in what was the first ever simultaneous stoppage of the two companies.
“We’ve been negotiating with both companies since about November. Both companies have been demanding concessions and that is one of the very peculiar things about these negotiations. So far, the main sticking points are company demands not union proposals. Both companies want to roll back protections around fatigue, rest management, scheduling and, in the case of CN, the company also wants to implement a forced relocations scheme,” said Christopher Monetti with Teamsters Canada.