Maintenance workers not needed
John French
Chief Staff Writer
Eighty railway maintenance workers in Squamish were given layoff notices by CN Rail (CN) late last month, just days after the multinational railway officially took control of BC Rail (BCR).
Union officials and CN management were involved in negotiations this week. The sides were not available for comment; however, The Chief confirmed the layoffs through sources who asked not to be identified out of fear that speaking to reporters about the situation at the railway would be met with repercussions.
Alan Dever, the BCR communications director, said he could not speak about the layoffs because it is a CN issue.
Norm Hooper, BCR's vice-president of maintenance operations, told about 150 employees gathered at the Sea to Sky Hotel in November that the maintenance operation in Squamish won't be needed under CN's ownership.
Hooper said at that time that the changes wouldn't happen overnight. Rather, the change took place eight months later.
Bob Phillips, the president and CEO of BCR, said in November that even if BCR was preserved the jobs in Squamish were destined to be moved or eliminated.
CN's western VP, Dave Edison, said last year that BCR employed slightly fewer than 200 people in Squamish. He said that 48 workers will be offered early retirement, 24 will be offered severance packages and 40 jobs will be moved to other locations. He added that 80 people will be needed in Squamish to support the CN operations.
CN's operations span Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico and serve six ports and cities across the continent.
