Paul;
A couple of years ago, when CN was complaining about the hassle of sending a
job all the way to leaside to transfer cars to and from CP at Leaside, CN
managed to contract the switching for their long haul customer (ADM), at
Streetsville. They had no access to ADM.
They insisted that CP allow them to bring the transfer to West Toronto, and
continue along another 15 miles on CP trackage in order to switch ADM.
(The atmosphere was adversary, to say the least, since at the same time, they
had marshalled their connections and their prices to succesfully force CP out
of the Ford Oakville business for a length of contract term, that would make
impossible, the CP's ability to maintain the infrastructure needed to be a
viable contract option for Ford at the next negotiation.)
CP said no-way. CN then raised legal issues regards the CP Wye at West
Toronto involving crossing the CN Georgetown route. The timing was good
enough for CP's work permits to lapse, and that is why the wye off of the
Mactier sub took an extra year to complete. Obviously CP, being held hostage
by Telliers plan, had to give in ,to most of his demands, and today the CN
job does its work at Lambton, CP switches ADM, switches the couple of places
in back of Leaside that were CN's.
The wye was absolutely essential to CP traffic so they tell me.
It so happens, that I have read your e-mail on a day that I am preparing a
dissenting letter to my International Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers for
their statement of support for the CN/BNSF merger. So if you detect some
negativity aimed at CN, you got it!
Mr. Tellier has now conned my own brotherhood by guaranteeing the safety of
jobs in the CN- bnsf (when in fact those jobs were never in jeopardy) but
none to any other brother in another property who loses his job as a result
of the merger. Wish me luck!
Paul Bellis
