Within a few months, E & N requested consolidation of Unions as presently the Company would have to bargain with five (5) Unions:
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers
The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees
The Canadian Auto Workers
The United Transportation Union and
ourselves, I.B.E.W. System Council 11
However, due to the sale, it moved into the B.C. Provincial Labour Relations Board where our System Council had no recognition as a Provincial Union and therefore could no longer legally represent their members. This is where Local 230 got involved as our jurisdiction covering Vancouver Island would allow us an "interested party status" in the consolidation application.
Upon the conclusion of the five (5) day Labour Relations Board hearings, the Chair had ordered a vote to allow the Company its request of negotiating one Collective Agreement with one Union due to the diversity of the workers skill sets and the "flow back" agreement negotiated with individual Unions and the CPR. The Chair also granted the Unions a grace period to see if there was any appetite for creating a Council of Unions
which would satisfy the one Union requirement as the Council would then negotiate and administrate one Collective Agreement covering al employees but, still allow the Unions to separately represent their members.
Several meetings and conference calls were held with Local members and National Business Managers drawing a Constitution which would formally bind the Unions and create the Vancouver Island Council of Railroad Unions.
Although one Union, the Auto Workers disagreed to the Council concept as their actions hinted towards an all or nothing mandate which later materialised in their direct opposition on the ballot.
The vote was held on April 5th, 2000 and the vast majority established the Council as the rightful bargaining authority and the I.B.E.W. would retain its membership. The outcome of the vote also posed the question, "What would happen to the "Equipment Maintainers" (C.A.W. members)?" After a couple of meetings, they unanimously decided to join the I.B.E.W. where they are now in the process of being initiated into our Local.
