Quebec dairy giant Saputo hopes to eventually cut about $7 million in annual costs by closing three dairy plants in Eastern Canada before the end of next year. The Montreal company announced Tuesday it will close the former Scotsburn milk plant at Sydney, N.S. in June, the Fromagerie Madame Chevre specialty cheese plant at Princeville, […] Read more

Saputo to shut three dairy plants in East

Somali workers fired at U.S. beef plant in prayer dispute
Denver | Reuters — Nearly 200 workers, mostly Somali immigrants, have been fired from a meat-packing plant in Colorado after staging a walkout to protest what they said were insufficient prayer accommodations, the company and Islamic advocacy groups said Thursday. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the workers were treated in a “discriminatory manner” […] Read more

Arbitrator named for CP talks with running trades
The federal government has named its arbitrator to settle a new contract between Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) and its conductors, engineers, trainmen and yardmen. Labour Minister Kellie Leitch on Monday appointed lawyer and professional mediator George Adams as the arbitrator and mediator for talks between CP and its 3,800 unionized running trades workers, represented by […] Read more

CP’s shopcraft staff ratify new labour deal
Repair, maintenance and locomotive and rail car inspection staff at Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) have voted to ratify the last-minute deal that kept them off the picket line. The 1,625 unionized workers, represented by Unifor’s CP shopcraft bargaining unit, voted 79 per cent in favour of their four-year deal at membership meetings over the past […] Read more

CP engineers, conductors halt strike
Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) and its unionized conductors, engineers, trainmen and yardmen agreed Monday to binding arbitration in their contract talks, ending a strike the day after it began. The end of the strike, which began Sunday just after midnight, comes under the threat of federal back-to-work legislation, which was due to be tabled Monday […] Read more

Railway back-to-work legislation going to Commons
Back-to-work legislation to halt a day-old strike by engineers and conductors at Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) is scheduled for introduction Monday in the House of Commons. Federal Labour Minister Kellie Leitch is booked on the Commons’ order paper for Monday to introduce “An Act to provide for the continuation and resumption of rail service operations.” […] Read more

CP’s engineers, conductors on strike
Engineers, conductors, trainmen and yardmen for Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) are on strike after 11th-hour talks ended Saturday night without a new agreement. “Picket lines are now being set up across Canada and the rail shutdown is happening,” Doug Finnson, president of the workers’ union, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), said in a release […] Read more

CN reaches tentative labour deal with engineers
Canadian National Railway’s (CN) 1,800-odd locomotive engineers will remain on the job until April at least, after tentatively agreeing to a new three-year labour deal with the company. The agreement, reached Saturday, now goes to a ratification vote for the unionized engineers, represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC). Vote results are expected to […] Read more

Labour minister says CP, engineers urged to bargain
Vancouver | Reuters — Federal Labour Minister Kellie Leitch on Wednesday said she was encouraging the parties at Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) to bargain, but declined to speculate on what Ottawa might do if workers went out on strike. CP said its managers will be ready to take over if the railway’s engineers and conductors […] Read more

CP conductors, engineers serve strike notice
Unionized engineers and conductors on Canadian Pacific Railway’s (CP) trains have served formal notice they’ll strike Sunday, barring a negotiated deal with the company. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), which represents CP’s locomotive engineers, conductors, trainmen and yardmen, said Tuesday it’s notified CP that the affected workers will strike effective 12:01 a.m. Sunday “in […] Read more