9 June 2004 CP's Maintenance of Way Employees Join the Teamsters The Canada Industrial Relations Board renders its decision in favour of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference.   The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) has finally rendered a highly awaited decision. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) now represents a total of 11,000 members following the addition of 3,000 members of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (BMWE) who work for Canadian Pacific (CP Rail).   The TCRC had filed an application for certification on their behalf in November 2003.   In its decision, the government agency also rejected the applications filed by the United Steelworkers of America who had not bolstered enough support to justify their right to represent this group of workers.   "The attitude demonstrated by the Steelworkers is a catastrophe for members," reminds Francois Laporte, special assistant appointed by Teamsters Canada president to handle the Rail Conference case. "While the matter was debated before the CIRB, members are still waiting for their collective agreements to be renewed and their grievances to be processed. Fortunately, the Board's decision allows us to begin defending the workers."   We are still awaiting a decision by the Canada Industrial Relations Board in the matter of Canadian National Maintenance of Way Employees. The Rail Conference filed an application in this case in February 2004.