VIA Rail and UNIFOR members ratify a new historical 4-year deal

MONTRÉAL, July 14, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - VIA Rail Canada announced today that members of UNIFOR, the union that represents the 1,800 of 2,500 of VIA Rail employees who work in stations, customer service centres, maintenance centres and administrative offices voted on Wednesday to ratify a 4-year labour agreement. The agreement was accepted by a strong majority of 80%.

"We are pleased to have reached this historical 4-year agreement that benefits all parties and allows us to continue to focus on the customer. It also demonstrates the commitment and optimism UNIFOR members have towards VIA Rail's future," said Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, President and CEO of VIA Rail. "The increase in revenue and ridership we've seen in that last two years is the direct result of the positive collaboration and dedication of our employees to superior customer service."

"Once more, we thank the local UNIFOR leadership team and its national president Jerry Dias as well as our respective negotiating teams for their hard work and commitment throughout the process. The professionalism and support that Labour Canada's mediation team demonstrated under the experienced leadership of Guy Baron, Director General, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services was of great help. This agreement allows us to move forward with our many different projects and initiatives aimed at making VIA Rail service the greener, more human and smarter way to move people in Canada," concluded Yves Desjardins-Siciliano.

About VIA Rail Canada
As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail (viarail.ca) and its 2,600 employees are mandated to provide safe, efficient and economical passenger transportation service, in both official languages of our country. VIA Rail operates intercity, regional and transcontinental trains linking over 400 communities across Canada and about 180 more communities through intermodal partnerships, and safely transports nearly four million passengers annually. The Corporation was awarded seven Safety Awards by the Railway Association of Canada over the last eight years. For more information, visit: www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail.

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SOURCE VIA Rail Canada Inc.

For further information: Mariam Diaby, Senior Advisor, Media Relations, VIA Rail Canada, 514 871-6010 | 1 877 393-8787 [e-mail] | [e-mail]