The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that train operators at Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City have voted to go on strike toward the end of May if a labour deal is not reached. The Globe's Eric Atkins writes that the deadline for the strike is May 22, and the union leaders can call strikes with 72-hour notices. According to Paul Boucher, president of Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, a combined 98 per cent of votes cast were in favour of a strike, with a participation rate of 93 per cent. The main issues concerning union bargaining teams are rest periods and the ability of employees to book time off to ensure they are not working while fatigued. Mr. Boucher accused the companies of attempting to strip employees' rights to book rest periods to compensate for a labour shortage and retention problems. He stated: "Compromising on safety is never the solution to staffing problems. CN and CPKC should instead be looking to improve working conditions and adopt a more humane approach to railroading." CPKC said its proposals do not compromise safety. Both railways say they have offered to move away from a pay-per-mile system to an hourly pay rate that offers more predictable days off.