“This bill alone won’t solve all the challenges VIA Rail is facing,” said Scott Doherty, Unifor’s lead rail negotiator and Executive Assistant to the Unifor National President. “However it’s a long overdue step in the right direction and establishes a foundation and necessary building blocks that we can use to improve public passenger rail service in Canada.”
Canada needs to get back on track and invest in the future of its rail system.
The federal government needs to step up and pour some significant dollars into VIA Rail, Canada’s national rail passenger service, if it wants to build back better, following the lead of our American counterparts.
Bargaining between Unifor Council 4000 and Local 100 with VIA Rail opened up virtually on January 17, 2022.
Contracts for more than 2,000 members expired on December 31, 2021. The two local unions will bargain separately.
Unifor National President Jerry Dias says, “Members should have the utmost faith in their bargaining teams who are experienced and skilled. They have been working diligently throughout the pandemic and ensured a fair contract was negotiated for all in 2020-2021.”
Bargaining between Unifor Council 4000 and Local 100 with VIA Rail opened up virtually on January 17, 2022.
“Members should have the utmost faith in their bargaining teams who are experienced and skilled,” Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Our members have been working diligently throughout the pandemic and ensured a fair contract was negotiated for all in 2020-2021.”
In the year since the signing of the last agreement, Unifor members in rail continued to work while keeping travellers safe, comfortable and delivering a high quality mode of transportation.
MONTREAL — Bargaining between Via Rail and Unifor Locals representing 2000 members opened up virtually on January 17, 2022.
“Members should have the utmost faith in their bargaining teams who are experienced and skilled,” Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Our members have been working diligently throughout the pandemic and ensured a fair contract was negotiated for all in 2020-2021.”
Unifor was prepared to open bargaining with VIA Rail virtually on Thursday, October 21, 2021 with contracts for more than 2,000 members set to expire on December 31, 2021.
Bargaining dates for the first two weeks of November were secured and agreed to by VIA Rail for Local 100 and Council 4000.
VIA Rail has since notified us that they are not prepared to open bargaining today and won’t be ready until the week of November 21st.
Unifor Local 4003 has reached a tentative agreement with Toronto Terminals Railway following weeks of negotiations that opened up on July 28th.
“We want to thank the members for their support during bargaining and we are looking forward to presenting the details to members at upcoming ratification meetings,” said Jeff Ongena, Local 4003 TTR Chairperson
If ratified, the agreement reached on Sept. 9 2021 will give members a wage increase of 12.5 per cent throughout the life of the contract, which expires in 2025.
