Toronto rail workers poised to strike
August 9th 2010  | Source: CBC   

GO, Via Rail service could be affected if no contract by midnight Monday

Railway maintenance workers at Toronto's Union Station could go on strike Tuesday morning if contract negotiations break down.

About 125 workers represented by the Canadian Auto Workers Local 4003 are trying to forge a new collective agreement with Toronto Terminal Railways.

The company is responsible for construction, operations and maintenance of Union Station and the Union Station corridor.

But both GO Transit and Via Rail said Monday they don't believe a strike — if it happens — will affect their service.

In a statement Via Rail said "it will continue to operate normally through Union Station in the unlikely event of a strike by Toronto Terminal Railways employees. VIA has been assured by TTR that, if required, an operational contingency plan has been established to ensure that VIA trains would continue to operate as scheduled to and from Union Station."

Federal laws require a certain amount of maintenance to be done on the tracks in order to safely operate trains, the union said.

Negotiators have until midnight Monday to reach a deal. The latest round of talks broke off Friday.

"We had about two or three key issues on the table that needed to be addressed," said Bob Fitzgerald, president of the Canadian Autoworkers National Council 4000. "The company decided they didn't want to address those and broke off."

He said the union has asked the company to resume talks Monday morning.

Some of the key issues are pay and seniority rights, Fitzgerald said, without going into details.

Members of the union voted 94 per cent in favour of a possible strike action in July.

www.division660.ca