CN Engineers on Strike

By 250 News

Striking CN engineers  Grant Parsons,  Tony Seaward and Bill Miller  get sone warmth on the picket line.

Prince  George, B.C.- The picket lines are up  at the rail yards in Prince George, as about  three dozen  engineers with CN and the former B.C.  rail, are on strike.

Talks betwen CN and the union, the Teamsters, broke down  earlier this past week,  and  efforts to   get  negotiations  back on track with the help of a federal mediator  failed yesterday.

The strike does not   effect  VIA  passenger service.

The engineers  last  contract expired at the end of 2008.  The last strike at CN was  in February of 2007, and  after two months, the federal government envoked back to work lelgislation  saying the railway was too important to the national economy to  allow a strike to  carry on.   That is  possible again this time,  as the railway is key to  getting raw materials to market.  Labour Minister  Rona Ambrose  issued a statement calling on both  sides to accept  binding arbitration ""At a time when our economy is still recovering, our government will not support a disruption to such a vital component of Canada's economy."

The  strike  action follows a move by  CN that  called for engineers toget  a 1.5% pay  hike and capping their monthly mileage to  4,300 miles, up from 3,800.   The caps are  supposed to  prevent train crews from being over worked.

The union  says   the new  caps mean  some engineers might have to work seven days a week with no time off, CN disputes that claim.

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