DULUTH, Minn. — CN said it has reached a tentative labor agreement with the United Transportation Union (UTU) for UTU-represented employees working on the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway Company (DM&IR).
CN purchased the DM&IR as part of its May 2004 acquisition of the rail and marine holdings of Great Lakes Transportation LLC.
The new labor pact, which is subject to ratification, would settle wage and work-rule issues for 74 trainmen for the period from January 2004 to September 2012. The agreement would replace the traditional mileage/ rule-based agreement with one based upon hourly wages and job security. Most of CN’s U.S. train and engine employees work under hourly-rate labor contracts.
The UTU members on the DM&IR are principally involved in operating CN trains hauling pelletized iron ore in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
