Canada - More than 3,000 Teamsters members have gone on strike at the Canadian Pacific Railway after contract talks failed to reach an agreement before the midnight deadline.
 
However, a strike by the railway's 1,800 Unifor members was averted when a tentative agreement was reached in Montreal just minutes before the strike deadline.
 
The Teamsters Canada Rail conference (TCRC) union represents 3,300 locomotive engineers and other train workers at CP.
 
The Unifor members, whose collective agreement expired on 31 Dec 2014, conduct safety inspections on all rail cars and locomotives, as well as maintenance and repairs.
 
Unifor issued a statement just after midnight that said ratification votes by members across the country would be scheduled over the next three weeks once local presidents and workplace chairpersons have had a chance to review the accord.
 
"This was a very difficult set of negotiations, but I'm pleased that we were able to break new ground in several different areas," Unifor national president Jerry Dias said in statement.
 
"We were able to negotiate a new agreement that addresses the concerns raised by our members," Unifor Local 101R's Tom Murphy added.
 
The Canadian government joined contract talks between CP and unionized staff on Friday to help stave off a potential strike, but it also began laying the groundwork to introduce back-to-work legislation.
 
The Conservative government put the legislation on Parliament's notice paper for Monday, meaning it could pass it into law soon after any strike.
 
CN Reaches Deal
 
In another development, Canadian National says it has reached a tentative labour agreement with the union representing its train engineers in Canada.
 
Their deal with the TCRC covers about 1,800 locomotive engineers.
 
It will be put to a ratification vote by mid-April, when results will be made public, Canada's largest railway said.
 
The Montreal-based rail operator did not disclose the agreement's details, pending the vote.
 
CN is still in talks with Unifor, the union that represents about 4,800 workers, including clerical employees and truck operators.
 
Unifor and the Teamsters have also been negotiating with Canadian Pacific, the country's No. 2 railroad.
 
But unlike CP, neither union had announced a strike deadline at CN Rail.

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