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CN, union reach tentative agreement to end rail strike

Canadian National (CN) railway and the union representing its workers have reached a tentative agreement to bring more than 3,000 employees back to work after a weeklong strike.

Normal operations at CN will resume tomorrow at 6 a.m. local time across the country, the union Teamsters Canada announced this morning.

Details of the tentative agreement have yet to be released. Teamster members will vote on the agreement following a series of union meetings to be held across Canada, which could take several months.

In a press release, Teamsters Canada president François Laporte thanked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and acknowledged labour minister Filomena Tassi, transport minister Marc Garneau, and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, for their “instrumental” role helping the parties find common ground.

“Previous governments routinely violated workers’ right to strike when it came to the rail industry. This government remained calm and focused on helping parties reach an agreement, and it worked,” Laporte said.

Teamsters represents more than 16,000 workers in Canada’s rail sector. More than 3,000 of CN’s conductors, trainpersons and yard workers went on strike last Tuesday, demanding improved working conditions.