Unifor’s Canadian National Railway members vote for strike authorization

Unifor said on Monday its members at Canadian National Railway have authorized a strike action at the railroad if the parties fail to reach an agreement by Jan. 1.

Unifor, which represents more than 3,600 members at the railroad’s Council 4000 and Local 100 committees, said members voted “overwhelmingly” in favor of the strike action.

CN Rail did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Unifor, which represents CN Rail’s car technicians and heavy duty mechanics among other workers, said negotiations with the railroad will resume from Nov. 30 to Dec. 8 in Montreal.

The union had initiated negotiations with CN Rail in September, with bargaining priorities that included higher wages, addressing concerns about the pension plan and job security for its members.

(Reporting by Utkarsh Shetti in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)