(The following story by Scott Deveau appeared on the Financial Post website on May 18.)
OTTAWA — A strike at Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. escalated yesterday when pickets managed to shut down two loading yards before the company sought injunctions to keep the rails running smoothly.
The intermodal yards — at which trucks drop off and pick up cargo from the trains — were partially blocked in Winnipeg and brought to a standstill in Vancouver by the striking maintenance workers at Canada’s second- largest railway.
About 3,800 members of Teamsters Canada Rail Conference’s Maintenance of Way Employees division walked off the job late Tuesday after labour talks broke off with the railway on April 28 over wages, health and welfare issues.
The union had been seeking a 13% wage increase over three years, which the railway rebuffed saying it was out of line with the 10% increase that it had negotiated with other unions at the railway.
The striking employees are responsible for building and maintaining tracks, bridges and other structures at the railway, and have been working without a labour deal since Dec. 31. About 1,300 managers have been filling in for the 1,200 striking track inspectors as part of CP’s contingency plan.
The remaining 2,000 striking employees are responsible for capital projects, which will be differed until the dispute is resolved, the railway said.
CP was granted an injunction in Winnipeg yesterday afternoon, with which the union voluntarily complied after roads surrounding the yards became congested by the incoming trucks who were being stopped by protesters.
As a result, the striking workers can now only stop the trucks entering and exiting the yard for a maximum of two minutes to inform them about the dispute.
“Picketers have a right to inform, but by law they cannot obstruct,” said CP spokesman Mark Seland. “With their illegal activity at the truck terminals we will also be seeking damages caused by the disruptions.”
Mr. Seland said rail service has been unaffected by the strike, because cargo often takes days to be loaded on to trains after its brought into yards by truck.
The railway has yet to assign a dollar figure for the damages it will seek from the union for blocking access to the yard, Mr. Seland said, noting another injunction is being sought in Vancouver.
Union president William Brehl said that the intermodal yard in Vancouver has been “shut down solid” as of yesterday afternoon, and described the protest as “peaceful.”
“They have applied for an in injunction [in Vancouver]. But we’re gonna fight them on it. We don’t believe they have any reason for an injunction here,” he said.
Mr. Brehl said the reason deliveries at the Vancouver yard have come to a standstill is because almost all of the of the truckers entering the yard are fellow Teamster members who are refusing to cross the picket lines.
“When Teamsters go on strike at CP Rail, the whole of Teamsters Canada will respect our picket lines,” he said.
Mr Brehl added that he thought the railway was understating the effect the strike was having on its operations in Vancouver
“In their affidavit for an injunction, they’re saying that today, Thursday afternoon, [the yard] is completely full and they cannot load or unload anymore trains,” he said. “It’s shut down completely.”