Canadian Pacific Railway workers went on strike today after the parties were ‘unable to reach an agreement despite last minute negotiations right to the strike deadline’, the Teamsters union said.
“We have made every reasonable effort to get a settlement, said Doug Finnson, vice-president of Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC).
“Every union member knows how important the outstanding issues are. We will not walk away from the negotiation table. ”
Talks will resume ‘first thing in the morning’, the union said.
Commuter trains still ran today in Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto whilst freight services have been suspended across the country.
The union and CP have been negotiating since October in an attempt to renew the collective agreements that expired January 1 2012.
Finnson says the major points of contention for the union are pensions, some work rules and fatigue management.
