Montreal Quebec - Canadian Pacific Railway may be facing two possible strikes by nearly 5,000 employees this weekend.
 
Separate unions representing safety and maintenance workers and locomotive engineers have issued strike notices against the country's second-largest railway company.
 
On Thursday, Unifor, which represents approximately 1,650 mechanics at CP, said its members will be off the job Sunday if a deal cannot be reached.
 
The workers perform safety inspections on all rail cars and locomotives, as well as maintenance and repairs on Canadian Pacific trains.
 
"The employer has seen record profits and record revenues and our members play a large part in that," Brian Stevens, national rail director for Unifor, said in an interview.
 
He added that the union members' workload has "increased significantly."
 
Stevens described the negotiations, which are expected to continue through the weekend in Montreal, as difficult.
 
At the start of negotiations, CP indicated that it may make an investment in Weston Shops, its railway yard and repair facilities in Winnipeg, Stevens said.
 
"Yesterday they told us that Weston shops may not be in the future of the railway," Stevens said.
 
"That's before you get the issues of concessions on benefits and pensions. The employer keeps changing the environment for us."
 
The Star asked Canadian Pacific for comment on the Weston Shops, but a spokesperson did not respond before deadline.
 
On Thursday, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) union warned that a strike could have an impact on commuter train services in the Montreal area.
 
GO Transit customers would not be affected by a strike at CP, spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins said in an email.
 
"However, we are monitoring the situation very closely and will provide any updates to our customers if the situation changes."
 
VIA Rail said it does not anticipate "any significant impact" from a strike, spokesperson Mylene Belanger said in an email.
 
"The only possibility might be some delays caused by picket lines in Chapleau and Sudbury, affecting our services between Sudbury and White River."
 
The Teamsters represents 3,300 locomotive engineers and other train workers at CP.
 
The union says the company is either unwilling or unable to comply with agreements that require train crews to stop operating and obtain rest after 10 continuous hours of work.
 
CP says it has proposed a model to improve scheduling, as well as other offers.
 
Federal mediators are assisting with the negotiations in Montreal this week.
 
In 2012, the federal government passed legislation to force an end to a nine-day strike by CP rail employees.
 
At the time, then-labour minister Lisa Raitt said such a strike would cost the economy $540 million a week and undermine Canada's business reputation.
 
CP's chief operating officer, Keith Creel, told analysts this week that a walkout may reduce profits by one cent a day.
 
Management employees will run a reduced freight schedule in the event of a walkout, Creel said.
 
CP chief financial officer Bart Demosky said this week that he will step down at the end of May, after less than 18 months on the job.
 
There are also separate negotiations taking place between the two unions and Canadian National Railway.

Madhavi Acharya and Tom Yew.