Montreal Quebec - Some 5,000 train engineers, rail workers, and mechanics might walk off the job if unions and the Canadian Pacific Railway do not reach a deal by midnight Saturday.
 
Leaders from two unions, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) and Unifor, have been in talks with CP negotiators in Montreal and issued a strike notice on Tuesday.
 
The negotiations, which are being mediated by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services (FMCS), were described as difficult on Thursday, by Unifor's national rail director Brian Stevens.
 
"We want to make it very clear that there is a deadline and we would like to reach an agreement before that time to avoid any job action by our members," TCRC president Douglas Finnson told the Star on Tuesday.
 
The TCRC represents 3,300 engineers, conductors, and railway workers employed by CP.
 
Unifor bargains for CP's 1,650 maintenance and repair workers and safety inspectors.
 
It has said it will be providing an update at 20:00, Saturday, both TCRC and Unifor have issued strike notices with a deadline of midnight Saturday.
 
Among the points of contention in the negotiations is scheduling.
 
The Teamsters say CP is not willing or not able to meet agreements that stipulate workers must stop operating trains after 10 hours of continuous work and get rest.
 
On Thursday, TCRC warned that commuter train service around Montreal could be affected, and that the repercussions of a strike would be felt across Canada.
 
A VIA Rail spokesperson told the Star last week that the passenger rail service does not expect significant delays, but that picket lines in Chapleau and Sudbury could cause some service disruptions.
 
GO Transit said its service would not be impacted by TCRC and Unifor strike actions, but that it is closely monitoring the situation.
 
The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association, representing firms including Ford and General Motors, said it "strongly encourages" the parties involved to resolve the issue without a strike.
 
In a statement Saturday afternoon, the association said a strike will likely strand "thousands" of vehicles in the rail pipeline and cause the "idling of vehicle assembly facilities."

Sidney Cohen.