VIA Rail reaches tentative agreement with Unifor

VIA Rail Canada late last week announced it reached tentative agreements with Unifor's Council 4000 and Local 100 bargaining committees.

The union represents 2,400 VIA Rail employees working in stations, on trains, in maintenance centers, at the VIA Customer Center and in administrative offices. The agreements are subject to a ratification vote by Unifor members, VIA Rail officials said in a press release.

Once ratified, the collective agreements will be retroactive to Jan. 1 and remain in effect through Dec. 31, 2027. Agreement details will be available upon ratification, VIA Rail officials said.

The tentative agreements were reached prior to a June 22 potential strike date. Agreements were unable to be reached prior to a May 31 federally mandated reconciliation, but rather were reached during the 21-day cooling off period following the reconciliation period.