(Source: Associated Press, August 23, 2024)
Freight trains in Canada could be running again within days after the government forced the country’s two major railroads into arbitration with their labor union Thursday, a move aimed at averting potentially dire economic consequences across the country and in the U.S. if the trains are sidelined for a long period. The government’s action came more than 16 hours after Canadian National and CPKC locked out workers over a labor agreement impasse. Both railroads said they would work to get trains moving again as soon as possible. The union representing 10,000 engineers, conductors and dispatchers responded angrily to the order, accusing the railroads of intentionally creating a crisis to force the government to intervene. It also said it would keep its picket lines in place while reviewing the decision.
Teamsters Canada Rail Conference President Paul Boucher criticized the government’s decision to step in so soon. “The two major railways in Canada manufactured this crisis, took the country hostage, and manipulated the government to once again disregard the rights afforded to working-class Canadians,” Boucher said. “The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) is deeply disappointed by this shameful decision.”
Full story: Associated Press