CP Rail workers hit picket line

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This article was published 21/03/2022 (1272 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On a calm Sunday morning, the Canadian Pacific Railway yard fell silent for the first time in a long time compared to the bustling sounds of freight cars and engines starting up.

That roar could be heard instead from CP rail workers from Westman who took to picketing along Pacific Avenue in a show of solidarity for better working conditions.

It was a display that began after neither CP Rail nor the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union could agree to a labour agreement as of midnight on Sunday.

More than a dozen of the 3,000 locomotive engineers and conductors across the country represented by the union set up a picket line by 8 a.m. in Brandon. Many vehicles passing by honked their horn in support of the workers.

Both CP Rail and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference say the other side is at fault for the work stoppage, which is parking trains when supply chain disruptions are already threatened from the impacts of the global pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

“We’re really fighting for better working rights for our family,” said Brad McDonald, a conductor with 12 years of experience at CP Rail.

He said morale is high among the group as each of his co-workers continue to stand for a fair bargaining situation and the ability to have more time spent with family.

Westman rail workers said they would like to see their dispute resolved over whether a federally mandated break period can be taken on the road, or has to be given when employees are at home after working for a set number of days at a time.

“They want all these rights for us to be away from home. This job is hard enough as it is as we go right now,” McDonald said.

Dan Barcellona, a locomotive engineer with 31 years of experience, and the Teamsters local chairman for the past decade, said his co-workers are concerned with their wages and benefits to keep up with rising inflation.

“Everybody knows that inflation is out of control, not just in our industry but in every industry,” Barcellona said.

However, he said their biggest concern with the company is the need for an adjustment to their pension plan. It’s an issue they say has been disregarded since 2012.

“About 10 years ago, a lot of our pensions got capped and since then, we haven’t had any improvements to that pension for the last 10 years,” said Dustin Holleman, a CP conductor for 11 years.

“We’ve been funding it ourselves currently for the last two years.”

Barcellona and Holleman explained since 2020, CP Rail has implemented a contribution holiday, which is defined as a period of time when money stops being paid into an individual’s pension. Not only would workers like to see improvements to their pension, having to pay into their pension out of their own pockets is a key concern going forward to the ongoing talks at the bargaining table. They said the current plan for CP Rail is to continue the contribution holiday going forward.

“We’re always looking for more personal time from work, more respect from the company and a fair deal,” Holleman said.

Barcellona said it is very difficult to anticipate how long he and his co-workers will be locked out from the job. He said the federal government could intervene if an agreement is not reached in the coming days or weeks.

A report published by The Canadian Press on Sunday detailed CP’s address last Wednesday saying it would lock out its conductors and engineers if a deal was not reached by midnight of March 20. However, by Sunday, the company said that the unionized workers walked off the job before they were locked out.

In their own statement, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference said in addition to the lockout, their members are also on strike. In Brandon, each worker who participated in picketing said they would like to get back to work as soon as possible. Discussions remain ongoing between both parties.

“We’re fighting for a better life in general,” McDonald said.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty. The sooner CP meets us at the bargaining table, the sooner a deal can be made,” Holleman said.

» jbernacki@brandonsun.com, with files from The Canadian Press

» Twitter: @JosephBernacki