CN Rail says it has received 72-hour strike notice from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which represents around 750 signal and communications employees who work for the railway.
Union members could go on strike as soon as 11AM eastern on June 18.
“CN has negotiated with the union in good faith and will continue to do so,” says a statement from the railway. “The company has also offered to resolve the remaining differences, which are predominantly on wages and benefits, through binding arbitration. CN remains optimistic that an agreement can be reached without a labour disruption.”
If the union does strike, CN says it has a contingency plan that “would ensure a normal level of continued safe operations as long as required.”
CN also has a major labour deadline looming with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), the union that represents more than three thousand CN conductors, yard workers, and trainspeople. The three-year deal that CN reached with the TCRC after an eight-day strike in 2019 is set to expire on July 22, 2022.
Related: Given the cost and frequency of labour disputes, it’s high time rail service be deemed essential
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