VIA Rail says a strike deadline by its union has been extended to 8 p.m. Eastern Time today (Monday, July 11).
VIA Rail officials put out a statement shortly after midnight to say the 12:01 a.m. strike deadline by Unifor had been extended to 4 p.m., which suggested progress was being made in negotiations. Late this afternoon, word came that the 4 p.m. deadline had been extended to 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) continues to negotiate with the union representing some 2,400 VIA Rail employees working in its stations, on board its trains, in its maintenance centres, the VIA Customer Centre, and administrative offices.
As talks have progressed, Unifor has pushed the strike deadline until 4:00 p.m. (ET) on Monday, July 11, 2022.
Some services for Monday, July 11 may be impacted. For the latest updates on train status please visit our website at viarail.ca.
“VIA Rail remains committed to reaching a fair and reasonable agreement,” said Martin R Landry, President and Chief Executive Officer. “In the past few months, there has been an increased appetite for travel. We recognize the additional stress this situation is placing on our passengers and the communities we serve from coast to coast to coast.”
“We remain hopeful that a deal can be reached,” Lana Payne, Unifor National Secretary-Treasurer, said in a statement on the union’s website. “Our bargaining committees have been steadfast in wanting to achieve a deal that respects and values their work.”
A strike deadline for July 11, 2022 was announced last Thursday, in an effort to give the public ample notice and an opportunity to make alternative arrangements for travel. Rail services will continue Monday.
Unifor represents more than 2,000 maintenance workers, on-board service personnel, chefs, sales agents and customer service staff at VIA Rail.
VIA Rail is offering customers the opportunity to make changes to their travel plans without service fees for any departures prior to July 31st, 2022.
Please visit viarail.ca to modify your reservation or call 1 888 VIA-RAIL (1 888 842-7245), or our TTY service (for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing) 1 800 268-9503.
