News Flash! News Flash!CLEVELAND, Feb. 12 -- BLE Canadian Director Gilles Hallé announced today that a tentative contract agreement has been reached between the BLE's Canadian Rail Traffic Controllers and Canadian Pacific Railway.
"These negotiations started in October of 1996 to renew the contract that expired on December 31, 1996," Brother Hallé said. "I'd like to give special thanks to all the Brothers and Sisters for their help and support during that long negotiating process."
The agreement, which is pending ratification under the BLE Constitution & Bylaws, provides improvement in all areas of the Rail Traffic Controllers' current benefits package. Retroactivity payments for the following wage increases will go into effect once the contract is ratified:
Brother Hallé also reported that there were some major breakthroughs in crucial working rules that will benefit the Rail Traffic Controllers. He said agreements were reached in regards to lunch breaks for Traffic Controllers, a seniority maintenance fee for promoted officers, and an employee-paid, long-term disability plan which will be non-taxable.
Brother Hallé gave special thanks to his negotiating team, which consisted of General Chairman Jim Ruddick, Vice-General Chairman Marc Boucher, Local Chairman of Calgary Division 954 J.E. Ayton, and the Brotherhood's National Advisor Darrell Arnold.
http://www.ble.org/PublicRelations/rtccontract.html
Updated Thursday, February 12, 1998
E-mail: <bentley@ble.org>