CN Rail workers picket Tuesday morning in front of rail yard. (Nicole Reis / meadowlakeNOW Staff)

By Nicole Reis

CN Strike

Eliminating fatigue among CN rail worker demands

Nov 19, 2019 | 1:13 PM

Several CN rail workers in the Battlefords joined a national strike this morning. About eight picketers were seen walking along 101^st Street in front of the railway station.

The workers, who have been without a contract since July 23, say they’re concerned about long hours, fatigue and what they consider dangerous working conditions.

“A lot of things you’ve heard on the news are about wages but it’s more about safety and changing the way our position works to eliminate a whole bunch of jobs,” Eric Allen, a local rail worker and member of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) said.

“A lot of the guys that work in North Battleford and in the cities switching cars, their jobs would be eliminated.”

In an email to battlefordsNOW, a spokesperson for CN, Alexandre Boulé said: “As explained during CN’s Q3 results, the company is adjusting its resources to demand. This includes the difficult decision of adjusting its workforce to demand levels by placing some employees on furlough and reducing both management and union job numbers due to a weakening of many sectors of the economy. These adjustments have already started to take place across the network.”

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Rail workers went on strike Tuesday morning (Nicole Reis / meadowlakeNOW Staff)

The TCRC, which represents 12,000 rail workers, is urging the federal government to make crew fatigue a priority.

Allen said the union has employed specialists who are working on fatigue research. Rail workers are currently putting in 12-hour days and Allen said CN is looking to increase working hours.

Larry Halstead has been in the rail industry for nearly six years. He said this is not the first labour dispute he has been through and will picket outside for as long as it takes.

“The company made a nearly $4 billion in profit last quarter. It’s their profits that they’re losing by not negotiating at the tables.”

Halstead said its not about money; it’s about worker fatigue.

“Look at Lac-Mégantic. That’s a prime example of what can go wrong on the railroad. Us working 12 hours and then only getting a few hours of sleep, then getting back on the train is not safe for the public and it’s not safe for anyone,” Halstead said.

Boulé said CN will return to the negotiating table today, with the assistance of federal mediators.

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nicole.reis@jpbg.ca

@nicolereis7722