Via Rail Strike Leads to Layoffs


Those planning to Ride the Train may have to wait a while.

The Employees of Via rail working in various service and station positions will be given layoff notices after the strike began on Friday, said Via spokesman Malcolm Andrews.

"Those layoffs, of course, are temporary, and all of those employees would be immediately called back to work as soon as the work stoppage was over,"

He added that as many as 400 additional employees may lose work if the strike drags on. Via has about 3,100 employees in total, including union staff and management.
Via's 340 unionized locomotive engineers walked off the job Friday shortly after a noon deadline passed without a new contract.

Via and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union had been engaged in intense talks all week in an attempt to prevent a strike. However, talks broke down late Thursday night. The engineers have been without a contract since Dec. 31, 2006.

"Via remains optimistic that this shut down of Canada's passenger rail system will be of short duration, and that service will resume as soon as possible," Andrews said in a telephone interview.

"On that end, Via and representatives of the Teamsters Canada union have been meeting with the federally appointed mediator throughout the day today in order to find a solution to the issues at hand."

The strike threatens to disrupt thousands of Canadians' summer vacation plans. Via carries nearly 12,000 passengers each day in Canada. As much as 85 per cent of business is between Quebec City and Windsor, Ont.

Passengers can receive refunds for any unused tickets, according to a statement on the company's website.

When asked about the layoffs, Transport Minister John Baird said that the government's top priority is getting service up and running again.

"Obviously, Via is not able to run the trains during the labour disruption, and that has consequences. I think what the important thing is, both parties are at the table working with the federal mediator," he said.

The strike has also raised concern that travellers will look elsewhere in the long-term, said Baird.

"The real concern I have ... is that we will lose customers from Via," he said, noting that the government wants to see an increase in train travel, not a decrease.
"We don't anything that would send mixed messages to Canadians (and) would see reduction in service," he said.

The last Via rail strike was in 1995 and lasted a total of 9 days.

Those who Ride the Train on a regular basis and vacationers will feel the effect of the strike. Let's hope they can come to an agreement soon!