Both of Canada’s major railways have signed contracts with their staff that will last until the end of 2000.
Canadian Pacific Railway and the Canadian Auto Workers union have reached a tentative three-year contract settlement.
The agreement, signed on Sept. 10 and affecting 3,500 employees who repair railway cars and diesel machines, provides for wage, benefit and pension improvements and contains provisions the company said would improve productivity.
The settlement, subject to ratification by union members who are voting on it at a series of meetings scheduled to wrap up Sept. 24, is retroactive from Jan. 1, 1998 and runs through to Dec. 30, 2000.
The autoworkers union also signed four new collective agreements with CN Rail that run from Jan. 1, 1998 to the end of December 2000.
The agreements, ratified by more than 6,000 union members, include wage increases, better benefits and pension plan improvements.
All of CN’s major Canadian unions, representing 17,460 employees, have ratified collective agreements except for the Rail Canada Traffic Controllers union which are now in discussions.
