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Unifor’s National Rail Council is launching a new collaboration with Public Rail Now (PRN), a U.S.-based advocacy group working to advance publicly owned and accountable rail systems.
“This partnership strengthens our solidarity across borders and brings two important campaigns together with a shared goal of putting rail back into public hands,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “By working alongside Public Rail Now, we are expanding the push for safe, reliable, publicly accountable rail systems that serve workers and communities, not private profits.”
The partnership stems from a motion adopted at the Rail Council meeting during Unifor’s 2025 Constitutional Convention, where delegates recognized the strong alignment between Unifor’s Get Canada Back on Track campaign and PRN’s work in the United States.
“Privatization has eroded service, safety, and good jobs,” said Chris Garrod, Chairperson of Unifor’s National Rail Council. “It’s time we reclaim rail for the people and ensure it serves communities, not corporate shareholders.”
For years, rail workers across North America have experienced firsthand the impacts of privatization: declining service quality, years of infrastructure neglect, job losses, and erosion of in-house maintenance capacity. The new collaboration represents a shared commitment to confronting these issues and strengthening the case for public investment and public ownership.
Unifor’s campaign has documented the effects of privatization on VIA Rail, including deteriorating on-time performance and the loss of skilled jobs as more work is contracted out. The consequences are clear: reduced reliability, fewer workers to maintain equipment, and a system that struggles to meet the needs of travellers, particularly in remote and underserved regions. PRN has raised similar concerns in the U.S., where private Class I railroads continue to prioritize shareholder returns at the expense of service, safety, and community access.
PRN National Organizer Adam Barrington echoed this reality, pointing to the consequences of unregulated corporate consolidation and decades of shareholder-first decision-making across the U.S. rail network. He noted that short-term profits have repeatedly been prioritized over workers’ wellbeing, community access, and long-term system sustainability.
Examples across the continent show that a different model is possible. In the United States, significant federal investment through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has enabled Amtrak to reach record ridership levels by improving service reliability and expanding capacity. In Canada, Ontario Northland’s restoration of the Northlander passenger service demonstrates the importance of publicly owned rail infrastructure paired with strong union expertise at its Remanufacturing and Repair Centre in North Bay.
With this collaboration, Unifor and PRN aim to bring greater public attention to the need for accountable, publicly supported rail systems that prioritize workers, passengers, and communities. Over the coming months, both organizations will explore opportunities to align research, share advocacy strategies, and coordinate education efforts.
The partnership is an early but meaningful step toward rebuilding public rail systems capable of meeting economic, environmental, and social needs while supporting good union jobs on both sides of the border.
