Bombardier strike deal reached

A deal to end a strike by 700 Bombardier Inc. railcar workers was reportedly struck in Thunder Bay, Ontario, union officials said. The workers are members of the Canadian Auto Workers union and walked off the job Tuesday afternoon after talks on a new contract broke down. They had been working without one since May 31 and the main point of contention was the company's desire to scale back pension benefits for new employees, union officials said earlier. Talks continued through Wednesday and a deal was reached in the evening, the Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal reported. Neither the company nor the union had issued statements early Thursday. There hadn't been a strike at the plant since the early 1980s, the newspaper said. The facility manufactures subway cars, light rapid transit railcars and heavier regional transit cars for international clients. Postmedia News said earlier this week Bombardier's railcar division has more than $30 million worth of production orders outstanding. Copyright 2011 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.