Rail News: Labor
Brotherhood of Railway Carmen Division members ratify CN contract

Members of the Transportation Communications Union's Brotherhood of Railway Carmen Division recently ratified a six-year agreement with CN and its subsidiary railroads.

The contract, which covers a period from Jan. 1, 2010, through Dec. 31, 2015, provides a lump-sum payment equal to 1 percent of straight-time earnings for a 12-month period between Nov. 1, 2010, and Oct. 31, 2011. The agreement also provides full retroactive pay from July 1, 2010.

The wage increases stipulated for each year of the contract's term are: 2 percent for 2010; 2.5 percent for 2011; 4.3 percent for 2012; 3 percent for 2013; 3.8 percent for 2014; and 3 percent for 2015.

The contract reflects wage gains from the national agreement, and includes health and welfare provisions that "also track identically with what was done nationally," carmen division officials said in a prepared statement.