Calgary Alberta - More than 3,000 workers at one of Canada's largest railways have issued Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) officials a formal strike notice, the unions said Saturday.
 
Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) said in a release workers could not go on strike until after Tuesday, 29 May 2018 at 22:00 o'clock EST.
 
"CP is offering more of the same contract language that workers just voted to reject a few hours ago. The company clearly isn't serious about reaching a negotiated settlement and delivering on their promise to do right by their employees," said TCRC President Doug Finnson in a release.
 
"CP has continually changed directions during negotiations with little evidence that a settlement was ever possible. We have given CP every reasonable opportunity to negotiate and avoid a strike, but sadly that has led us nowhere," echoed Steve Martin, a senior general chairman from IBEW.
 
The formal strike notice comes one day after the CP conductors and engineers overwhelmingly rejected the rail company's latest contract offer at the urging of the unions, who had argued the proposed agreement does not address workers' wage and fatigue concerns.
 
On Friday, TCRC said its members voted 98.1 percent, while 97.2 percent of the workers represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers were opposed.
 
Workers had been instructed by federal Labour Minister Patti Hajdu to hold a ratifying vote, administered by the Canada Industrial Relations Board, after the vote had been requested by CP officials and backed by federal mediators.
 
Hajdu have been in Calgary since Thursday evening to monitor the dispute.
 
On Friday, the labour minister urged both sides to continue working towards a solution.
 
"CP, TCRC, and IBEW have so far been unable to reach an agreement and I urge all parties to continue their hard work to reach a fair deal that avoids any disruption in service," she said.
 
"Our government believes in the collective bargaining process and I remain hopeful that the parties will be able to negotiate new collective agreements. Mediators from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service have been working with the parties and will continue to do so. I will continue to monitor the situation closely."
 
CP workers voted 94.2 percent in favour of strike action 6 Apr 2018.
 
The employees have been without a collective agreement since the end of 2017.
 
It is the third time in six years CP employees have been in a strike position.
 
Saturday was not the first time union officials have given CP officials formal strike notice.
 
They also gave notice on 18 Apr 2018 which prompted officials to start shutting down its rail network.
 
That work stoppage was avoided just hours before the strike deadline because of the requested ratification vote.
 
There is no word as to whether the railway has begun shutting down the network again given the latest strike notice.
 
Kelsey Johnson.