EDMONTON - Canadian National Railway locomotive engineers hit picket lines in Edmonton yesterday after contract talks between CN and the union broke down.
The main issues in the dispute are wage increases and the number of kilometres engineers must log each month.
Around 100 local engineers joined the 1,700 nationally who are on strike.
CN said managers will fill the engineers' positions until the strike is over, but add it could affect service.
"It's very unfortunate that the union has decided to (strike) because this will have an impact on our customers and on the Canadian economy," said Mark Hailman, a CN spokesman.
Local trains mostly haul goods like coal, fertilizer and containers. Passenger trains will not be affected.
Hailman said engineers aren't considering the strain the economic downturn has put on the company and are asking for "excessive" wage increases.
He also said the union has refused to submit the contract disagreement to a binding arbitration.
Federal Labour Minister Rona Ambrose, MP for Edmonton-Spruce Grove, urged the union to accept arbitration yesterday, saying she was "disappointed" an agreement couldn't be reached. She said she will not support the labour disruption in a time when Canada's economy is recovering.
Rick Cerilli, local chairman for the Teamsters' Canada Rail conference, the union to which engineers belong, said they want to sit down for negotiations.
"I think all we're looking for is an opportunity to negotiate a fair and equitable agreement," he said.
He added the wage increases that they've put forward follow industry standard.
The biggest issue, he added, is that CN wants engineers --who are paid by the kilometre -- to add an extra 800 km each month.
"In my situation, that equates to 30 to 40 additional hours a month," Cerilli said. CN offered a 1.5% wage increase with the mileage cap.
Clusters of picketers set up outside of access points at Edmonton rail yards yesterday, wearing bright signs and warming their hands over a fire pit.
The most recent CN strike was in 2007 when Parliament passed legislation to order strikers back to work.
-- With files from The Candian Press
ALYSSA.NOEL@SUNMEDIA.CA
