Rail

The Government of Canada has responded to the petition concerning the future of VIA Rail and the development of the High-Frequency Rail (HFR) project. This response is a welcome step forward, largely due to the thousands of people who have signed the Get Canada Back On Track petition and engaged with our campaign.

VIA Rail’s recent changes to its baggage policy highlight a shift in priorities, making eco-friendly travel more challenging in Canada. 

Passenger rail travel remains the most environmentally-friendly mode of intercity transport, crucial for many remote and isolated communities. VIA Rail serves as a vital link for those needing to travel for family, work, school, and health care.

TORONTO – Unifor members working for CN Transportation Ltd. (CNTL) have ratified a new four-year agreement. 

Unifor reaches a tentative agreement with CNTL, averting strike action

Unifor has reached a tentative settlement with CN Transportation Ltd. (CNTL) on a new four-year collective agreement. 

The union’s bargaining committee opened negotiations with CNTL on November 13, 2023 in Brampton. The first tentative settlement was rejected by a slim vote of 52% during ratification meetings held from January 23 to February 2.

The latest federal budget includes significant investments in VIA Rail, supporting Unifor’s Get Canada Back on Track campaign efforts to expand and sustain Canada's national passenger rail services.

Unifor Local 21-A Bargaining Committee, representing workers at GATX Rail Canada in Red Deer, Alta., have reached a four-year tentative collective agreement with the company. 

HALIFAX— Unifor members at CN Autoport have ratified a three-year collective agreement, ending a 37-day strike at the transshipment facility in Eastern Passage, N.S.

HALIFAX–Unifor and CN Autoport reached a tentative agreement today, after the conciliator invited the union back to the negotiating table at the company’s request. 

Details will be shared with Autoport members first at meetings scheduled for tomorrow, April 3, 2024, where members will vote on the tentative agreement.

Picket lines at the Autoport in Eastern Passage will remain active until a collective agreement is ratified.

WINNIPEG—A CN train was safely stopped during a solidarity action by Unifor members in Winnipeg this evening as part of an escalation caused by the company’s use of scab labour in Halifax.

“CN cannot escape the spotlight. The shameful behaviour by CN Autoport in Halifax will be met with resistance across our union,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “CN can expect more unscheduled disruption from coast-to-coast if it continues strike-busting tactics.”

HALIFAX—CN Autoport and Unifor met with a conciliator today, however the union was left with no choice but to leave the table following repeated offers from the company that represented a worse deal for members than the last agreement, which they soundly rejected.