TORONTO — The Canadian arbitrator appointed to resolve a messy railroad labor dispute to protect the North American economy has ordered employees at the country’s two major railroads back to work so both can resume operating.
The Teamsters union representing workers said Saturday that it will comply with the order and send its members back on the job, but it will also move forward with a legal challenge.
“This decision by the CIRB sets a dangerous precedent. It signals to Corporate Canada that large companies need only stop their operations for a few hours, inflict short-term economic pain, and the federal government will step in to break a union,” said Paul Boucher, President of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, which represents more than 9,000 engineers, conductors and dispatchers.
“The rights of Canadian workers have been significantly diminished today,” Boucher added.
The order should allow Canadian National trains to continue rolling and help Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. railroad get its operation running again.
Both railroads have said they would follow the Canada Industrial Relations Board’s orders. Canadian National trains started running again Friday morning but the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference threatened to go on strike there starting Monday morning. CPKC workers have been on strike since the lockout began early Thursday, and the railroad’s trains have remained idle.
Union officials have said they would “work within the framework of the law” even as they challenged the constitutionality of the arbitration order, announced by the government Thursday afternoon to avert potentially disastrous consequences to the economy.
Businesses all across Canada and the United States said they would quickly face a crisis without rail service because they rely on freight railroads to deliver their raw materials and finished products. Without regular deliveries, many businesses would possibly have to cut production or even shut down.
Two major Canadian railroads, Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP), have issued a back-to-work order to their employees after a strike that lasted for several days. The strike, which was initiated by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) in response to concerns over working conditions and safety measures, has caused significant disruptions to the country’s transportation network.
The back-to-work order comes after negotiations between the railroads and the union failed to reach a resolution. Both CN and CP have cited the economic impact of the strike as a reason for the order, stating that the disruption to their operations has had a negative impact on businesses and communities that rely on rail transportation.
The TCRC has announced that they will comply with the back-to-work order, but they have also stated that they plan to file a lawsuit against both CN and CP for violating their members’ rights to strike. The union argues that the railroads have not made sufficient efforts to address their concerns and have instead resorted to legal action to force employees back to work.
The issue of back-to-work orders and the right to strike is a contentious one in Canada, with unions arguing that such orders undermine workers’ ability to negotiate fair working conditions. The government has the authority to intervene in labor disputes and issue back-to-work orders under the Canada Labour Code, but this power is typically used as a last resort when negotiations have reached an impasse and there is a significant impact on the economy.
The back-to-work order issued by CN and CP is likely to bring an end to the strike and restore normal operations to the country’s rail network. However, the legal battle between the railroads and the union is likely to continue, highlighting the ongoing tensions between labor and management in Canada’s transportation industry.
In conclusion, the back-to-work order issued by CN and CP in response to the strike initiated by the TCRC has brought an end to the disruption caused by the labor dispute. However, the legal battle between the railroads and the union is likely to continue, underscoring the challenges faced by workers in negotiating fair working conditions in Canada’s transportation industry.
