Via Rail workers in Canada considering strike in June

Canadians who rely on Via Rail to travel across the country could run into a workers' strike next month.

Unifor Council 4000 and Local 100, the union representing over 2,500 Via Rail workers, declared a strike mandate on May 26.

The passenger rail service and the union resumed negotiating collective agreements on Monday under the federal conciliation process.

The conciliation period ends on May 31, followed by a 21-day cooling-off period. Unifor members voted overwhelmingly (97.5 per cent) in favour of strike action, which means Via Rail workers could walk off the job as of June 22 if negotiations fall through.

"This strike vote is not just a number — it's a direct response to Via Rail's refusal to bargain fairly," said Unifor National President Lana Payne. "Our members have shown they are united, determined, and ready to take action to protect good jobs and public rail service."

The union's bargaining committees say the employer is maintaining major concessions at the table, despite repeated calls to remove them. It adds that Via Rail has also failed to respond to the union's monetary proposals tabled in early May.

"Our goal is a fair agreement—not a strike," said Unifor Quebec Director Daniel Cloutier. "But Via Rail must understand that our members will not accept concessions and delay tactics. The time to reach a deal is now."

If a strike does occur, Via Rail employees working in its stations, on board its trains, in its maintenance centres, and its customer centre and administrative offices could participate in the labour disruption.

"Via Rail is committed to holding these negotiations in good faith in an effort to reach a new agreement so that we can avoid any disruption of service," the rail service told us in an email statement.

"Our employees are key contributors to the Corporation's success, and we remain focused on negotiating a fair and reasonable contract while staying competitive and continuing to deliver the high-quality service our customers expect."

The Crown corporation did not answer specific questions about how the possible strike could disrupt travel and how the company is preparing for it.

The rail service isn't the only Crown corporation threatened by a strike. Canada Post employees issued a strike notice for last Friday. The deadline to strike has passed, so the union representing the postal service’s workers has instead implemented a nationwide overtime ban while negotiations continue.