CN On Strike

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Agatheron

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Nov 8, 2003
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There are more details in an article from the Globe and Mail , but it appears that about 5,000 of CN's 22,000 employees have gone on strike. The dispute is with the Canadian Auto Workers, whose members provide customer service, safety inspections, repairs to trains and rail cars, and manual labour in areas where shipments are transferred between trains, trucks and boats.

Seems that Via Rail may also be caught in the crossfire with this one, especially if there are slow-downs on the track.
 
Matthyro

Matthyro

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Too bad about striking but everyone seems to think they need a lot more money to live on these days then the government are quick to grab their share in taxes so who really wins? No-body. The ones who really hurt are the customers who then turn to trucking and don't go back to CN after service is re-established so CN will have to lay off another bunch of workers.
 
spitfire

spitfire

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Let's remember that union members are really just working people like you and me.

Some people work hard, others don't, but in the end we all have far more in common with each other than we do with corporate interests and foreign ownership. It disturbs me to see how quick many people are to bash union members when they go on strike. It's never only about the money - there are usually much bigger issues, like outsourcing, hiring part-timers, watering down (or outright pilfering) of pension funds, working conditions, etc. etc.

If you work in a non-unionized field as I did for most of my life (graphic design) there may be a tendency to resent people who actually get paid for overtime, and various other union benefits, but I would ask - why get mad at them? Isn't your anger better directed at the people you work for, who will work you as hard and pay you as little as the law allows?

Val
 
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Muddy Creek

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A lot of 15 year olds (and a lot of 50 year olds) think that the 40 hour work week, overtime pay, child labor laws, work place safety rules, etc are here through some god-given right, through the generosity of business or through a government hand-out program.

These were brought about largely through the efforts of people who organized the unions, people who not only risked losing their jobs but often lost their lives at the murdering hands of industry-hired goons.

These "benefits" that we take for granted are increasingly being eroded. I don't know the issues in the CN dispute, but more frequently, it is the erosion of benefits that trigger labor disputes these days. If you or your parents lost their health benefits because of a cost-cutting move at work, it means you may be one illness away from losing your home, your education, etc. How stupid is it to fight for those?

Happy Holidays and I hope it's resolved soon.

Wayne
(Former union member and shop steward. Now self-employed with no benefits.)
 
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cobra

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A thorny issue that one could discuss for months and we would be no further ahead . I've worked on both sides .....the last 15 non-union . I prefer it that way but it is simply a personal preference . Probably 90% of my customers are union employees so I have to be cognizant of their various situations .Let's just hope the CN situation gets resolved .

Neil
 
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siderod

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Jan 30, 2004
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Nothing goin on in this area, AFAIK...CN was running as usual (perfection, as always) in this area when i was in Halifax this evening...spoke with the crew, and they said the strike was over-exagerated by the media, as most things is, and should be resolved soon. He wished me a merry christmas and went about his work.

Nothing to worry about, guys...
 
Hoghead

Hoghead

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Muddy Creek said:
A lot of 15 year olds (and a lot of 50 year olds) think that the 40 hour work week, overtime pay, child labor laws, work place safety rules, etc are here through some god-given right, through the generosity of business or through a government hand-out program.

These were brought about largely through the efforts of people who organized the unions, people who not only risked losing their jobs but often lost their lives at the murdering hands of industry-hired goons.

These "benefits" that we take for granted are increasingly being eroded. I don't know the issues in the CN dispute, but more frequently, it is the erosion of benefits that trigger labor disputes these days. If you or your parents lost their health benefits because of a cost-cutting move at work, it means you may be one illness away from losing your home, your education, etc. How stupid is it to fight for those?

Happy Holidays and I hope it's resolved soon.

Wayne
(Former union member and shop steward. Now self-employed with no benefits.)
Click to expand...
I gotta agree with you Wayne.
Sick time and vacations are also not by the good graces of the corporations.
 
Hoghead

Hoghead

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daboonk said:
im not saying im mad at them, im 15, i just think its stupid to try to get more money and end up loosing your job
Click to expand...
Maybe you will understand when you enter the workforce (hopefully after college).

As we sit here today there are crews moving freight across North America.
Most of them have probably already worked 70 plus hours this week and spend little time with their families.

The money issue has something unique in the railroad industry. They will deny claims and shortchange your paycheck on a regular basis. I myself have been shortchanged at least $2,000.00 in 2004 and I have to fight to get what was earned, yet the railroads can give Dick Davidson a bonus check in the millions.
Is this deserved since he is now presiding over the UP 2nd operations meltdown since 1997?

John Snow was given $68 million when he left his post of the CEO for the worse run class 1 railroad in North America (CSX). His financial expertise makes me cringe when I think he is now the Treasury Secretary for the US. and don't even get me started on the CN's CEO E. Hunter Harrison. There may not be a Santa, but there is definately a Grinch.
 
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