CALGARY, Alberta – Canadian Pacific Railway and its clerical and intermodal workers, represented by the United Steelworkers (USW), have ratified a collective agreement.
The three-year agreement extends to the end of 2009. It provides improvements for wages and benefits. In addition, a number of work-life balance provisions have been implemented, which are designed to improve retention of current employees and to make the various positions more attractive for people looking for a career in the rail industry.
“We are pleased with this settlement and believe it provides value for both our employees and our company as a whole,” said CPR President and CEO, Fred Green.
“With this agreement we wanted to improve the work / life balance of our members. We feel we were successful,” Nathalie Lapointe, president of USW TC Local 1976, said.
At CPR, the USW represent 1,500 employees engaged in numerous departments across the country. These include: employees in intermodal facilities, transportation service representatives who maintain inventory and generate work orders, crew dispatchers who co-ordinate and dispatch train crews, security guards, and clerical employees involved in a variety of administrative functions in all facets of the business such as pension, payroll, accounting and operations.
With the ratification of this agreement, there are now three labor agreements in place between CPR and its Canadian unions that extend to the end of 2009 and one that extends to the end of 2008. This most recent agreement includes a number of work-rule changes to improve productivity and manage benefit costs.
– PRNewswire-FirstCall
