CN said it has proposed binding arbitration to reach a contract settlement with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference - Conductors, Trainpersons and Yardpersons (TCRC-CTY) after the union advised that the tentative labour agreement negotiated with CN on Feb. 5, 2014, failed to ratify. This is the second tentative contract that the TCRC-CTY has not ratified this year. The TCRC-CTY represents approximately 3,000 CN train conductors, trainpersons, yardpersons and traffic coordinators on CN’s network in Canada. Claude Mongeau, CN president and chief executive officer, said: “We are disappointed that our tentative agreement with the TCRC-CTY narrowly failed ratification following extensive negotiations with the union’s bargaining committee. “CN today tabled an offer to the TCRC-CTY to settle all unresolved contract issues through final binding arbitration to allow the parties to move forward without the prospect of labour disruption. The union is now studying our proposal, and we have requested the TCRC-CTY respond to our offer by close of business tomorrow, March 21. We hope the union will accept it in the current circumstances, given that CN’s recovery from extraordinary winter weather that hampered operations is in its early stages. A labour dispute now would ill serve CN’s customers, the Canadian economy or the Company’s employees.”