The negotiation meeting with CPKC in December ended with management stubbornly refusing to bargain over issues of importance to the union coalition.  The Carrier did not respond to the coalition’s counter proposals on paid sick leave.  They did not counter BRS’s October 21 proposal for work rule changes on KCS, MidSouth, TexMex and GWWR.  They also refused to negotiate with our brothers on the DM&E over their substandard pay and insurance.  They ignored IAM and BMWED’s proposals as well.  Despite the obvious impasse, CPKC’s management audaciously portrayed the meeting as “the most productive yet.”  It was abundantly clear that the Carrier was not bargaining in good faith and merely kicking the can down the road.  Therefore, we informed them that we were ending direct negotiations, cancelled the January meeting, and invoked mediation.  Our first mediated session will be on April 20 under the guidance of a member of the National Mediation Board.  Our hope is that a mediator will force CPKC to actually respond to our proposals in a reasonable manner instead of giving us the run-around.  If they are foolish enough to refuse, we hope to be released from mediation and follow the process under the Railway Labor Act to obtain the improvements our members need which are long overdue.