CTV News Montreal

Updated: Thu Nov. 26 2009 7:46:41 AM

The Canadian Press

MONTREAL — CN Rail, the country's biggest railway, could be hit by a strike by its locomotive engineers as soon as Saturday.

The union representing the 1,700 engineers issued 72-hour strike notice Wednesday.

Federal mediators have called both sides to a meeting in Montreal tomorrow.

Although CN says it will be there, it's not immediately clear if union negotiators will attend.

CN Rail and the engineers have been without a contract since the end of last year.

The company wants to raise the mileage cap that would see the engineers work an average of 41 hours a week -- up from the current 37.

A CN spokesman says there's "ample time'' to reach a deal before the strike deadline.

Industry analysts say if there's a walkout, CN Rail could continue to offer some service because many of its managers are qualified engineers.

Comments are now closed for this story

In the know
CN train engineers earn between $90k to $120K per annum

CrackerJackLee
management will never be satisfied until workers are available 24/7. if it were not for unions, we would all be living in tents in the ravine behind the main office at their beck and call... this includes people like foster, who enjoys a standard of life made possible by the trade union struggle over the past 100 years. i'm heavily invested in CN, but i do not wish to profit at the expense of workers - the people who make it happen...

John Smith smithers bc
The Union that Broke the Camel’s Back

I have been working in the forest industry for 15 years and on average I work 6-7 days a week, which works out to be around 65-70 hours per week. I stay in a logging camp 1-2 weeks at a time. I don't take coffee breaks because if my machine doesn't produce, my boss doesn't make any money, which means I don’t have a job. Eating lunch doesn't take more than 10 or 15 minutes. As for working in the cold, I work in northern BC, and 8 hours working on a machine isn't uncommon. I can't say -45 because northern BC rarely sees those temperatures. Being a logger I won't mention paid holidays, pension plans, medical plans, or dental plans, because I haven’t had the opportunity to receive these benefits. So if any of you 1700 people want to trade jobs, I would love to. One thing I should mention is that you will have to take about a 30 thousand dollar pay cut, and lose all your benefits. And yes you will have to work the extra 40 hours a month. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't be any happier just having a job with the way the world is today. I guess you 1700 people probably haven't had the time to read a paper or catch the evening news with your long shifts and away from home time, but we are in a recession, and thousands of people are losing their jobs due to unions squeezing companies into the ground.

Good luck though! Squeeze them for all that you can and just think of the severance cheque you will get when they go broke.

Railway Worker
I work for CP Rail, Canada's other major railway, and let me tell you it's not easy. As a Welder I help maintain and repair the tracks which cover long distances through all kinds of teraine. My goal at work is to keep the track infrastructure safe so the company can reliably move freight trains, thus earn revenue and in the process move much needed supplies.

It's true the management at Canada's two major railways don't give a damn about safety, profits is their main priority. Right now CN is using the recession, as a tactic, to negotiate in bad faith in order to increase profits. In my opinion Canada's main form of transporting important commodities is too vital to be left in the hands of the robber barons who obviously don't care about anything but money.

As a member of the Teamsters, I can't help but be concerned for the future of the railway industry. The recent troubles at CN are just the beginning of things for the industry in general. The summer of 2010 will see alot more striking as there will be more members from other departments in strike postions.

DWL
Dear Mr. Foster
If there was ever a case of putting ones mouth in gear without first engaging the brain, you sir are it.
First of all, your note reeks of someone who is undereducated and overindulged. Minimum wage jobs exist because of there are people like you to fill them. You know nothing yet, put you behind a computer monitor and you are the authority of all things in your view.
The men and women that run the freight trains for the nations railways know more about hard work and long hours than some malcontent like yourself will ever possibly comprehend. Unlike you Brian, I know where from I speak on this matter. For over 30 years, I was one of the "train operators" you know so much about. A trip out to the away from home terminal and back can easily take 30 hours.
And no Mr. Foster, these people DO NOT get paid for the down time at the away from home point. They just wait, away from their home and families.
With tonnages exceeding 12,000 tons and train lengths in excess of 9000 ft. it's a very demanding occupation.
Yes sir, they are paid extremely well for what they do. And they should be. These people move the bulk goods that move this country. The locomotive ENGINEER (yes Brian, it is the correct terminology) and Conductor are completely and 100% responsible for the safe movement of 10's of millions of dollars,
Check your facts before you type anything in the future. U might learn something!

our man Hunter
Canadian National Railway is an excellent business run organization.
those lazy union deadbeats can go on strike and walk around in circles getting dizzy .the union can increase there hours of carrying a sign ( if they can lift it ) for an added 4 more hours as well .
it is nice to union deadbeats standing around in the cold as they are well trained (pardon the pun)because that is all they do to collect there cheque anyways.
Solution to labor dispute. CLOSE up the railway and let mexicans run it !!
ciao

Train Operator
After reading the comments I would like to say that I am one of those "train operators" and the information as usual is not correct. It is much more than 4 hours a week and our main concern has nothing to do with money. People should do a little homework before they "assume" what the actual facts are. Canadian National is under extremely agreesive management and because of this I not wish to elaborate due to possible repercussions. Just check out TCRC website and there are many answers there.

Ryan
I don't understand where these numbers come from... In my terminal the engineers I work with consistently put in upwards of 50 hours a week, and still don't hit their mileage. One trip on double subdivision is around 500 miles round trip,and the trip is 40 hours or more at a time. if the company wants to bring the engineers in line with the conductors the should cut the mileage cap on the conductors not increase the enginemen's cap

Dawn Campbell
This is in response to Brian Foster's comment and snide remark about "train operators." As he is apparently one of the naive, unquestioning, ill-informed populace who know nothing about the railroad industry, let me inform him:
CN LIES. The hours that engineers (and yes, that's the term; look it up) work is between 70-80 hours per week already, and spend another 30 hours away from home, waiting for a call "at the other end." CN is not asking for an extra 4 hours, they're asking for 500 miles per month. That works out to about 40 extra hours per month. I don't know exactly when they're supposed to fit in these extra hours, but I do know that it will come (as usual, in spite of what CN says) at the expense of safety. Locomotive engineers work on call for 24 hours a day. Imagine that, if you can. They work for 12 or 13 hours and get 6 hours off before the phone can ring again. During this time they have to taxi to and from their hotels (which are quite often glorified shanties), eat and somehow fall asleep and wake up in an instant. Studies have shown that they are permanently jet-lagged and sleep-deprived. So yes, I think they do know what "hard work" is. The question is; does anyone else?

porsche
Brian you obviously don't know anything about the job, and the conditions everyone who works at CN has to deal with on a daily basis.

We get no Coffee breaks, 30 min or less for lunch. we get harrased when we tell them we have to goto the washroom. we stand outside in -45 weather for 8 hours like to see you do that for 8 hours straight. no breaks or coffee. I have even seen some people get sent home for asking to goto the washroom.

what kind of culture is that to work in. Come on Brian why dont you come over and give it a try.
and for those of you that call it Canadian Rail way, everyone that works there knows it as the American way. thanks Hunter Harrison

Brian Foster
After the locomotive "engineers" at VIA staged a walkout, now it is CN's turn. Who's next? Unions should be abolished.

Is 4 hours a week extra too much to ask for from employees in these tough economic times? I'm sure those "engineers", or train operators to be exact, will be compensated for working those few extra hours anyway.

There are so many people out there that don't get a dime for working OT. The term "hard work" needs to be introduced to these train operators.