The 2004 CN Rail workers strike was a legal strike by 5,500 CN employees who were members of the Canadian Auto Workers union. The job action officially started at 12:01 a.m. on February 20, 2004, and lasted three weeks, affecting CN rail yards, locomotive and rail car service facilities, and intermodal terminals across Canada.

The 2004 strike by the CAW workers was about a few different issues.

One issue, that was small was the percentage in the wage increase. During some previous negotiated contracts in the 1990's workers were told if they took 0,0 and 0% wage increase while times were tough, that once the company started to do better, workers would also do better. This did not happen.

Some information from cn.ca:

In 2001 CN's profit rose more than 10%. Net income for the quarter ending Dec. 31, 2001, rose to $296 million from $237 million in the year-earlier quarter.

2002 Record: free cash flow rises 16 per cent to $513 million.

2003: Net income for the first nine months of 2003 was $790 million, or $4.06 per diluted share, compared with net income of $778 million, or $3.86 per diluted share, for the same period of 2002. Net income for 2003 was $1,014 million, or $5.23 per diluted share, compared with net income of $800 million, or $3.97 per diluted share for 2002. Record operating ratio of 66.1 per cent.

This is why workers were looking for a better than 3,3, and 3%, which is what they settled for in the ratification vote in March 2004 when they went back to work.

Other issues that some thought were more important were the contracting out of jobs, and the discipline policies of CN, which to most employees seemed extreme and unnecessary.
For more information about what was finally ratified take a look at this link
http://www.caw.ca/news/newsnow/news.asp?artId=394&db=1 CAW News.

The Corporation of CN has become ruthless when it comes to dealing with its unions. They use scab workers during labour disputes, at least they did in this one. Most came from the US. Workers thought that dealing respectfully with employees and appreciating the hard work they put in to help the company achieve such growth would be a better company relations tactic then bringing in the scabs.

This was a bitter dispute, and has left workers feeling that working for CN is not what they had once thought it would be. Workers now go through the motions of working there, pride has slipped away.

Some workers had an information site at:
http://www.fraservalleybc.com/~vit/ There is still some useful information there.

External link

*CBC News: CN Workers on strike

CN Rail workers strike
Category:Labor disputes
Category:Economic history of Canada