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Rally for locked-out Rocky Mountaineers

by murray bush - flux photo

Postie support
Lockout - not strike
Workers wore signs with the years they have worked for Rocky Mountaineer Tours.
NDP MLA Raj Chouhan
Rally for locked-out Rocky Mountaineers
Waiting for the train to arrive
Teamsters Ernie Nial (73) and Norman Gillan (93) - with more than 100 years of union work between them
Blue collar worker
Rally Vancouver style - always ready for the deluge

VANCOUVER - More than 100 supporters joined locked out Rocky Mountaineer onboard attendants yesterday in a show of solidarity. The 108 members of Teamsters Local 31 have been locked out and replaced by scabs since June 22.

Organizers say the company agreed to meet today to discuss a union proposal to settle the dispute.

The attendants work an average of 12-16 hours a day for four or more days in a row. They get no overtime and no required minimum rest period. Wages haven't gone up since 2008. The onboard workers provide commentary for tourists, food and beverage services and first aid in their role as hosts on the scenic train tours through the Rockies.

The use of scabs is illegal in B.C., but the dispute falls under federal jurisdiction because the employer is classified as a railway.

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