NEW WESTMINSTER—Southern Railway workers are not only standing strong for their own collective agreement but are also waging a larger fight for the rights of all working people, Judy Darcy and Paul Faoro told locked out CUPE 7000 members at a picket line here on Thursday.
The New Westminster MLA and CUPE BC secretary-treasurer thanked the workers for their resilience in the face of an employer that’s so far unwilling to bargain.
“We have seen this kind of attack on workers’ rights before—about denying or eliminating benefits—and it’s all about a race to the bottom. That affects workers everywhere,” said Darcy. “So we really applaud you for taking a stand.”
Faoro, pledging CUPE BC’s continued support through the lockout, blasted Southern Railway for the company’s “shameful” treatment of its workers.
“It is absolutely shocking that a company like this would seek to deny post-retirement benefits to its workers and then, after locking those workers out, operate the trains with a handful of managers,” said Faoro.
“And we have seen how good a job they’re doing with that video, of the train running through the fog at night with no lights on. They need to get back to the bargaining table.”
On Sunday afternoon, BC Federation of Labour Secretary-Treasurer Aaron Ekman will visit the CUPE 7000 picket line at the Huntingdon property in Abbotsford.
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