The union representing thousands of railroaders has appealed the moves that ended the rail shutdown last week B次元官网网址� a work stoppage that halted freight and commuter traffic across the country.
In filings to the Federal Court of Appeal, the Teamsters union challenged directives for binding arbitration issued to a labour board by federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon last week following the lockout of 9,300 workers by Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd.
In response to MacKinnonB次元官网网址檚 instructions, the Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered the countryB次元官网网址檚 two major railways to resume operations and employees to return to their posts until binding arbitration could produce new contracts.
The union is also contesting the tribunalB次元官网网址檚 decisions.
Paul Boucher, president of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, says the actions set a B次元官网网址渄angerous precedentB次元官网网址� that threatens workersB次元官网网址� constitutional right to collective bargaining.
B次元官网网址淲ithout it, unions lose leverage to negotiate better wages and safer working conditions for all Canadians,B次元官网网址� Boucher said in a release.
The railway companies, along with some industry groups, have said the ministerB次元官网网址檚 move ended months of needless uncertainty and subdued supply chain turmoil after the Teamsters rejected requests for arbitration.
MacKinnon made the back-to-work directive less than 17 hours after the lockouts B次元官网网址� as well as a strike by CPKCB次元官网网址檚 employees, but not CNB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址� took effect. He said the negotiations were at an impasse and Canadian businesses, job security and trade relationships were at stake.
Industry groups had been sounding the alarm for weeks over the economic consequences of a drawn-out shutdown. To ensure no freight would be stranded, CN and CPKC wound down their operations in phases, starting nearly three weeks ago.
Last week, traffic of cargo ranging from car parts to crude oil, consumer goods, grain and potash ground to a complete halt, temporarily upending supply chains.
More than 30,000 commuters in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver also found themselves unable to board passenger trains that run on CPKC-owned tracks.
The labour boardB次元官网网址檚 Aug. 24 ruling requires railways to continue operations and workers to stay on the job until arbitration wraps up.
The union filed four separate appeals in a Toronto courthouse late Thursday afternoon that seek a judicial order B次元官网网址渜uashingB次元官网网址� the ministerB次元官网网址檚 directives and the labour tribunalB次元官网网址檚 decisions related to CN and CPKC.
After an acrimonious few weeks, the Teamsters and the two railways are slated to meet next month for the first time since the work stoppage to discuss a timeline for binding arbitration.
