Teamsters union donates $40K to Lac-Megantic relief fund
by Canadian Manufacturing Daily Staff
Money collected from union locals going to Canadian Red Cross
LAVAL, Que.—A union that represents a majority of Canadian rail workers is donating $40,000 to the relief and recovery efforts in Lac-Megantic, Que., the site of one of Canada’s worst rail disasters on record.
Teamsters Canada announced the money, collected from union locals across Canada, will be donated to the Canadian Red Cross by members of its Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC).
“The Lac-Megantic crash is the worst rail tragedy that I’ve witnessed in my lifetime,” TCRC president Rex Beatty said in a statement. “I understand the population’s suffering and they can rest assured that they can count on our support.”
The union’s TCRC does not represent workers from Montreal, Maine & Atlantic (MMA), the operator involved in the deadly incident, but represents almost all workers who operate trains with the country’s main rail carriers and short lines.
“Today, we are donating money but our future actions will be aimed at improving safety in the rail industry,” Beatty said. “We owe that to the victims of this tragedy. It is only once the causes have been identified, assessed and corrected that solutions will be possible.”
