A potential national rail dispute threatens to disrupt passenger travel across the country heading into the summer.
Contract talks have broken off between VIA Rail and the union representing around 2,500 employees.
Unifor said no tentative agreement was reached after several days of bargaining that took place last week.
“We didn’t come to the table looking for a dispute — we came to get a deal,” Lana Payne, Unifor’s national president, said in a release.
“But VIA Rail’s refusal to take our demands seriously has left us with no other choice. If they’re not willing to fix what’s broken, they’re forcing this dispute onto workers and passengers alike.”
Uniform claims workers face chronic short hours and reduced pay due to the employer’s mismanagement of the board system.
The federal conciliation period ended May 31, which means Unifor will be in a legal strike position as of June 22.
Both sides are slated to return to the bargaining table on June 17 to try and reach a deal before that happens.
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