VIA Rail, Unifor begin contract talks

Collective bargaining negotiations began yesterday between VIA Rail Canada and Unifor Locals representing 2,000 workers.

The previous contract for Unifor Council 4000 and Local 100 — which represents maintenance workers, on-board service personnel, chefs, sales agents and customer service staff for VIA Rail — expired Dec. 31, 2021.

In the year since the signing of the last agreement, Unifor members in rail continued to work while keeping passengers safe, Unifor officials said in a press release.

The main goal of the negotiations is to "ensure jobs in this sector remain viable as we work toward strengthening the rail industry to serve both passengers and workers," said Unifor Quebec Director Renaud Gagne.

"Our members have been working diligently throughout the pandemic and ensured a fair contract was negotiated for all in 2020-2021," said Unifor National President Jerry Dias.