VIA Rail receives strike notice

Montreal, June 10, 2016 – VIA Rail Canada is confirming receipt of a strike notice from UNIFOR, the union that represents 1,800 of 2,500 of its employees who work in stations, telephone sales offices, maintenance centres and administrative offices. This mandatory 72-hour advance notice is part of the normal process of negotiations for the renewal of collective agreements. It opens the door to possible service interruptions beginning June 13 at 00:01, Eastern Standard Time.

VIA Rail and UNIFOR are continuing to bargain with the assistance of government mediators. The parties are working hard to reach an agreement before the deadline. Currently, no trains are affected by this strike notice.

For more information, passengers planning to travel on or after June 13 are invited to visit www.viarail.ca or call 1-888-VIA-RAIL (842-7245) or 1-800 268-9503 (TTY for the hearing impaired).

About VIA Rail Canada
As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail (viarail.ca) and its 2,500 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 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.