USW LOCAL 2004 RAIL REVIEW

December 2025

In this edition:

• Introduction from President Cole Kramer

• Building on Our 2024 Collective Agreement

• Workcycle & Scheduling Update

• Triennial “Forging the Future” & New Committees

• Health & Safety: Washroom Access, Training & Mental Health

• Women of Steel & Young Workers

• Share Your Stories & Questions

 

Greetings, Brothers & Sisters!

Remarks by Local President Cole Kramer

2025 has been another intense and important year for USW Local 2004.

We entered this year with new leadership mandates following the 2024 Executive Committee and Unit Chair elections and with a strong Collective Agreement in place. Our focus has shifted from “signing the deal” to defending it, implementing it properly, and planning for what comes next.

Over the past year:

 

• We will be laying the groundwork for 2026 bargaining as our current agreement approaches its December 31, 2026 expiry—collecting member feedback, reviewing grievances and arbitration outcomes, and identifying key issues such as workcycles, training standards, wages, benefits, and Health & Safety to shape our proposals.

• We’ve launched new internal committees—including the Election Rules Committee and the Strike Fund Committee—to strengthen our Local’s democracy and preparedness for future rounds of bargaining and potential disputes.

• We’ve prioritized Health & Safety issues such as access to washrooms, fair work cycles, wildfire-related work, and mental health supports, pushing the employer and regulators to live up to their responsibilities.

2025 has also been a year of significant grievance and labour-relations work. Whether it’s unfair discipline, improper removal from service, misapplied work cycles, or harassment and bullying, your union has been filing grievances, challenging management decisions, and using every available avenue—from the grievances to arbitration and health & safety processes—to protect your rights.

As always, none of this happens without you. Your calls, emails, texts, incident reports, and participation in investigations and meetings are what give us the information and leverage we need to act. When you raise issues, we can push for solutions. When we stand together, we win.

Looking ahead, our priorities include:

• Preparing for the next round of bargaining, including collecting member input and reviewing how well the new agreement is functioning in practice;

• Continuing to challenge improper scheduling, unagreed workcycles, and violations of the Collective Agreement and Canada Labour Code;

• Growing our Women of Steel network and recruiting more younger members into activism, Health & Safety, and union leadership roles;

• Strengthening our financial position and developing a Strike Fund so that we are ready—if and when we need to exercise our most powerful tools.

Thank you for your solidarity, your patience when processes take time, and your trust in your union leadership. We will continue to fight every day for safer workplaces, fair treatment, and a better life for you and your families.

In solidarity,

Cole Kramer
President, USW Local 2004

 

Looking Ahead to 2026 Bargaining

Our current 2024–2026 Collective Agreement expires on December 31, 2026. That may sound far away, but effective bargaining takes time, planning, and input from members across the country. Throughout 2026, a major focus of the Local will be preparing for the next round of negotiations.

Key areas of focus as we prepare

• Member Input & Priorities
  We will be asking members what is working under the current agreement, what is not, and where you want to see improvements. This will include surveys, local meetings, and direct feedback through Unit Chairs and Regional leadership. Your day-to-day experience on the job is what shapes our bargaining agenda.

• Workcycles, Scheduling & Work–Life Balance
  Workcycles, training schedules, rest days, and family life will continue to be major themes. We have seen how unagreed schedules and last-minute changes affect you. Those experiences will inform our proposals and our strategy at the bargaining table.

• Health, Safety & Mental Health
  Health & Safety concerns—fatigue, staffing levels, access to washrooms, PPE, training, and the mental health impacts of harassment and toxic supervision—remain central. Our goal is to turn the issues you raise through grievances, complaints, and H&S committees into concrete proposals in the next agreement.

Between now and the end of 2026, your feedback is critical. If you have ideas, concerns, or priorities for the next Collective Agreement, please speak with your Unit Chair or Regional Chief Steward. What we take to the bargaining table starts with you.

 

Workcycle & Scheduling Update

Workcycles and scheduling remain some of the most important issues for our members. After a lot of work throughout the fall, we have reached a new Workcycle Agreement with CN, which is now available for members to review on our website at 2004usw.ca.

This new agreement is the result of months of discussion, pushback, and problem-solving by your union representatives, with the goal of providing clearer, more predictable cycles and improving work–life balance across the system.

What we’ve been dealing with

Even as we negotiated the new agreement, we continued to see:

• Attempts by management to introduce unagreed-upon workcycles or “training schedules” that don’t match what’s in the Workcycle Agreement or Collective Agreement;

• Questionable use of shift change notices and last-minute changes that disrupt family life and work–life balance;

• Inconsistent treatment between regions and departments, even when the same language is supposed to apply.

What your union is doing

With the new Workcycle Agreement now in place, your union will be focused on:

• Ensuring the new cycles are applied correctly and that the Company respects the language we worked hard to negotiate;

• Continuing to file grievances when the Workcycle Agreement is violated and ensuring that the facts and timelines are fully documented;

• Challenging any attempts to use unauthorized schedules or workarounds that undermine the agreed-upon cycles;

• Providing clearer guidance for Unit Chairs and members so you can quickly identify when a schedule or notice violates the agreement.

Your reports—copies of bulletins, shift-change notices, and workcycle postings—are still essential. When you receive something that doesn’t look right, take a photo, keep a copy, and send it to your Regional Chief Steward.

 

Triennial “Forging the Future” & New Committees

At our 2025 Triennial, delegates adopted key resolutions to strengthen our Local in the years ahead.

Election Rules Committee

Delegates approved the creation of an Election Rules Committee to review, clarify, and improve the rules governing Local 2004 elections. The goal is to ensure:

• Clear, transparent and fair election procedures;

• Consistent interpretation of rules across regions;

• Timely communication to members about nomination and voting processes.

The Committee includes representatives from across the country and will report back with recommendations before the next election cycle.

Strike Fund Committee

Recognizing the importance of being financially prepared for bargaining and potential disputes, the Triennial also established a Strike Fund Committee, chaired by Todd Cotie, with Financial Officers Paul McInnis and Mike Green and regional representatives from across the country.

This Committee’s work includes:

• Examining options for how a Strike Fund could be created and implemented within Local 2004, including different models and funding approaches;

• Assessing the Local’s overall financial health to determine what is realistic and sustainable for a potential Strike Fund;

• Developing recommendations for policies and structures that would allow a Strike Fund to be established in a way that protects members and strengthens our bargaining position.

• A strong Strike Fund is a strong union. It gives us real leverage at the table and ensures members can stand together if the employer refuses to bargain fairly.

 

​​​​​​​​​​​​Health & Safety: Washroom Access, Training & Mental Health

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Health & Safety continues to be at the centre of Local 2004’s work.

Washroom access

Members have repeatedly raised concerns about lack of clear washroom access, particularly in remote work locations and situations where vehicles are not readily available for employees to leave the worksite.

Your union has:

• Requested the employer’s formal washroom policy multiple times;

• Raised the issue through regional and Policy Health & Safety committees;

• Pressed management to provide clear direction so workers are never put in a position of choosing between health and discipline.

No one should have to risk discipline to meet a basic human need. This issue remains a priority, and we will continue applying pressure until we see concrete, practical solutions.

Training & investigations

Our Local continues to invest heavily in training our representatives:

• Formal Investigation (UCFIT) Courses have trained Unit Chairs and reps on how to properly handle investigations, protect members’ rights, and build solid grievances.

• Health & Safety training has emphasized hazard identification, incident investigation, and the importance of refusing unsafe work when necessary.

We will keep sending representatives to District training schools, conferences, and specialized courses so your union always has knowledgeable people at the table.

Mental health & harassment

We are seeing more cases where harassment, bullying, or toxic supervision creates not only a human rights issue but also a safety issue. Your union has been:

• Supporting members who remove themselves from unsafe or harassing situations;

• Insisting that harassment complaints be taken seriously and investigated promptly and fairly;

• Challenging biased investigations and pushing for structural changes where patterns of behaviour exist.

If you experience harassment, discrimination, or retaliation, contact your Unit Chair or Regional Chief Steward. These issues are serious, and you do not have to face them alone.

 

Women of Steel & Young Workers

We are still looking for members to join and help build our Women of Steel network within Local 2004.

Women of Steel is an opportunity for union sisters to:

• Connect across regions;

• Share the specific challenges they face in the workplace;

• Develop strategies—with the support of the Local—to improve conditions for everyone.

We are also keen to recruit more younger workers into activism, Health & Safety, and union leadership. Our Local has a lot of experience and knowledge—but we need new activists to carry that into the future.

If you’re interested in Women of Steel, Health & Safety, or any other way of getting more involved, speak to your Unit Chair or Regional Chief Steward. Information is also available through the USW website and 2004usw.ca.

 

Stay Connected & Unit Chair Contact Information

For news, updates, and resources, visit 2004usw.ca and follow our Local’s official communication channels.

Your Unit Chair and Health & Safety Representative are your first point of contact for workplace issues, investigations, grievances, and Health & Safety concerns.

 

Share Your Stories & Questions

Your experiences are what make this union real.

If you’d like to share your work experiences, union wins, questions about your rights, or stories from the job for possible inclusion in future Rail Reviews, we want to hear from you. We plan to feature member stories and questions (with identifying details removed where needed) so others can learn, recognize patterns, and know they’re not alone.

📩 This email address is only for sharing stories and photos for publication.
If you have a health and safety concern, need to file a grievance, or need help with a workplace issue, please contact your Unit Chair, Chief Steward, or union representative directly through the usual channels.

Please send your stories and questions by email to: MembersVoice@2004usw.ca

If you’d like to include photos of yourself, your family, your coworkers, or your work environment, you can attach those as well. Please ensure that:

• You have permission from any coworkers who appear in the photos; and

• Any photos are taken in accordance with CN’s policies (including no use of phones or devices while on duty, and never in a way that compromises safety).

When you write to us, please let us know whether you’re comfortable being:

• Named fully;

• First name and region only; or

• Kept anonymous.

Your voice helps guide our work and makes this publication truly yours.

 

2025 continues to be a defining year for USW Local 2004.

 

With your continued support, participation, and solidarity, we will keep enforcing our Collective Agreement, expanding our representation, and building a safer, fairer workplace for all members.

 

In solidarity,

Your USW Local 2004 Team