23 March 2005

Notice from CN: CN To Maintain Normal Rail Operations Despite Threatened Strike

The following message is from the Director of CN’s Customer Support Centre.

CN will maintain normal rail operations across Canada in the event of a labour disruption by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).

The IBEW, which represents 644 CN electrical workers across Canada, is-sued a notice threatening strike action beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday March 26, if a tentative agreement is not reached by then.

CN believes its offer to the IBEW is fair and reasonable, and that the IBEW leadership is pressing for benefits well beyond those contained in collective agreements successfully negotiated with unions representing other CN workers and with our competitors in Canada.

Nevertheless, CN will continue its efforts to reach a settlement with the IBEW before the strike deadline. CN is also offering to enter into binding third-party arbitration with the IBEW – an offer the union has so far refused

However, if these efforts are unsuccessful, and a labour disruption occurs, CN will operate its normal rail freight service. Safety and service levels will be maintained to their usual standards. Employees represented by other unions will be expected to report for work as usual.