CN and Unifor reach tentative agreement

Unifor had set a Jan. 1 strike deadline

A strike between CN and some of its employees may have been averted.

On Dec. 9, both the railway and Unifor announced the two sides have reached a tentative agreement on a four-year contract.

The current deal expires on Dec. 31, and the 3,300 affected employees working in mechanical, clerical and intermodal positions planned to strike on Jan. 1, 2025, if a new contract couldn’t be signed.

Union members still need to ratify the agreement, of which no details have been shared publicly.

Ratification votes will occur in the coming weeks, Unifor said in a statement.

Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon is pleased to see the two sides coming to an agreement.

“Thank you to the parties for putting in the work to get a deal and to federal mediators for their support,” he said on X. “Negotiated agreements are always the best way forward.”

Canada’s ag community continues its calls for the federal government to make the transportation and handling of agricultural and perishable goods as essential.

While CN and Unifor are headed towards ratification on a new deal, CN and another union will begin negotiations in the new year.

Binding arbitration meetings between CN and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) will occur over seven days in March 2025.

This past August, the Canada Industrial Relations imposed binding arbitration on the two sides. CN and the TCRC agreed on an arbitrator in October.