Revelstoke electrical workers are among the nearly 300 railroaders striking as negotiations with their company around higher wages continue.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Canadian Signals and Communications Systems Council No. 11 issued Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) a 72-hour strike notice on May 27 after failing to reach a settlement, starting picketing across Canada on May 31.
This implicates employees at railway work sites between Vancouver and Montreal. However, IBEW System Council No. 11 represents more than 1,400 workers total who keep CPKC’s rail network operating 24-7.
READ: ‘Disappointed’: Revelstoke losing 125 railroaders as CPKC relocates labour to Kamloops
“After spending months bargaining in good faith, CPKC is disappointed that a work stoppage could not be prevented,” the company said in a release. “CPKC has presented a fair and balanced proposal with wage and benefit increases consistent with collective agreements currently in place with all our other unions across Canada. We continue to encourage IBEW to end its strike and accept binding arbitration.”
By May 31, the company informed the union that it was implementing contingency plans to ensure railway operations continue during the strike, after it said IBEW rejected its latest contract offers.
IBEW Systems Council No. 11 said it chose to strike after a vote with 96 per cent support. Members have raised concerns about wages, employee expenses, on-call obligations and demanding schedules, it said in a release, while retention challenges have worsened as signal and communications workers leave for better-paying jobs and better quality of life.
According to Jason Sommer, senior general chairman for IBEW Systems Council No. 11, CPKC failed to meaningfully address recruitment, retention, compensation and work-life balance issues in the bargaining process.
READ: CPKC to relocate Revelstoke railroaders in June, but unclear how many will go
Representing Canadian operations and 70,000 members, IBEW First District said June 3 that it also supports the hundreds of signal and communications workers on strike and encourages CPKC to “return to the table and work toward a negotiated agreement,” rather than call for binding arbitration.
Black Press Media observed IBEW employees in Revelstoke on the picket line at Grizzly Plaza last weekend.
CPKC has yet to respond for comment.