Locomotive engineers on CN'S former IC U.S. properties ratify five-year collective agreement.CHICAGO -- CN and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE) was a labor union founded in Marshall, Michigan on May 8, 1863, as The Brotherhood of the Footboard; a year later, its name was changed to The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. and Trainmen (BLET) announced today that 400 locomotive engineers working on CN's former Illinois Central (IC) properties in the United States have ratified a five-year collective agreement with the company. The agreement, effective Jan. 1, 2006, improves wages and benefits for the employees and preserves the hourly-rate system of compensation for locomotive engineers that CN pioneered on its U.S. properties in 2002. Gordon Trafton, senior vice-president of CN's United States Region, said: "I am pleased that the BLET membership has ratified this long-term agreement, which will provide greater workplace stability for both CN and its locomotive engineers on the former IC. We're also glad to see that these employees continue to see the merit of the hourly rate system of compensation." The hourly rate of compensation for locomotive engineers is a break from traditional railroad mileage- and rules-based pay systems. The hourly rate concept enhances employee productivity while giving BLET members a better balance between work and home lives. John Koonce, BLET general chairman, said: "There was a lot of hard work put into this agreement, not only from myself but also Richard Radek, BLET vice-president, and Mark Whitchurch, first vice-general chairman. This agreement shows that negotiations are not just a one-way street, but instead they can be a mutual understanding of everyone's needs." CN's former IC network extends from Chicago to New Orleans and from Chicago to Omaha, Neb., and Sioux City, Iowa <noinclude></noinclude> Sioux City (IPA: [su: 'sɪti]) is a city located in northwest Iowa in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 85,013. . The BLET, based in Cleveland, is a division of the Rail Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Canadian National Railway Company Canadian National Railway Company (NYSE: CNI, TSX: CNR) is a Canadian rail transportation company that operates the Canadian National Railway. It was created in December, 1918 as a Crown corporation of the Government of Canada to nationalize several bankrupt rail systems spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico Noun 1. Gulf of Mexico - an arm of the Atlantic to the south of the United States and to the east of Mexico Golfo de Mexico Atlantic, Atlantic Ocean - the 2nd largest ocean; separates North and South America on the west from Europe and Africa on the east , serving the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the key cities of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, St. Louis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. www.cn.ca CN (TSX TSX Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE before April, 2002) TSX Transfer from Stack Pointer to Index TSX True Space Extension :CNR) (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :CNI (1) (Certified NetWare Instructor) See Novell certification. (2) (Coalition for Networked Information, Washington, DC, www.cni.org) A partnership of the Association of Research Libraries, CAUSE and EDUCOM, founded in 1990. ) |
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