The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union has handed a 72-hour strike notice to Canadian National Railway.
The TCRC plan to go on strike starting 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 28.
"TCRC's decision is unfortunate because a strike is in no one's interest - not the locomotive engineers, CN's other employees, its customers or the Canadian economy," CN wrote in a statement released Wednesday.
On Monday, CN said it would increase wages by 1.5% effective Nov. 28 for approximately 1700 locomotive engineers. The pay increased would come coupled with a requirement to add 500 miles per month to the current schedule, the union outlined in a separate statement.
This change would require some locomotive engineers to work seven days a week with no time off and cause layoffs within the ranks of conductors, trainmen and yardmen, the union said.
“As advised by the company, these changes are the tip of the iceberg and we cannot sit idly by while CN simply changes the terms and conditions of the collective agreement. Our members deserve much better than that,” said TCRC President Daniel J. Shewchuk.
The TCRC's last contract with CN expired Dec. 31, 2008 and federal mediators have been on the case since August.
“It is obvious to us that CN is counting on the federal government intervention to settle the issues rather exploring solutions to a negotiated agreement,” Shewchuk said.
CN is urging the TCRC to resume negotiations and reach a settlement. Otherwise, CN said, the union should agree to submit issues in dispute to binding arbitration before the strike deadline.
The TCRC agreed to binding arbitration to end the strike at VIA Rail Canada Inc. back in July 2009.
