19 November 2007
Canadian Pacific and Teamsters Keep Talking After Tentative Deal Derails
Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. is continuing talks with the
Teamsters union after a tentative contract for 4,500 locomotive engineers and conductors went off the rails.
Union members narrowly rejected a memorandum of settlement in a vote last week, but Canadian Pacific said there will be no strike or
lockout "while the parties discuss the next steps."
The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference said Friday the vote was 1,551 to 1,500 against the five-year agreement. The union's
tally showed sentiment was mildly positive in many locations, but solidly negative in Calgary and Toronto and overwhelmingly negative
in B.C., where the vote was more than four to one against the deal in Cranbrook and Coquitlam.
Canada's second-largest railway operator said the two sides "are in continuing discussions as they both assess the
situation and have agreed to meet this week to explore opportunities to reach a mutually acceptable agreement."
Details of the rejected agreement have not been officially released, but the union said when it was negotiated in early September that
it offered improvements in wages, benefits, and pension provisions, "as well as the introduction of work-life balance
issues."
CPR said the proposed deal "effectively balances the objectives of the TCRC members and the company's
goals."
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