(The London Free Press circulated the following article by Hank Daniszewski on February 23.)
LONDON, Ontario — CN Rail is urging the federal government to push through back-to-work legislation today to end a 13-day-old strike, even though at least 500 workers are back on the job.
CN Rail chief executive Hunter Harrison said a bitter internal split in the United Transportation Union (UTU) has made it difficult to reach a deal at the bargaining table.
“We believe government legislation is warranted given internal UTU divisions,” Harrison said in a release.
Federal Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn said he will introduce legislation as early as today to end the strike by 2,800 conduction and yards service workers that began Feb. 10.
Monday, the union’s negotiating team was suspended by the Cleveland-based international union over charges they were trying to lead Canadian workers into the Teamsters Union.
The negotiating team was replaced by two vice-presidents loyal to UTU International president Paul Thompson.
But the deposed union negotiators continued to organize a back-to-work plan with local union leaders and say almost all members in eastern Canada — about half the work force — are back on the job.
CN spokesperson Mark Hallman disputes that claim, saying only about 500 workers have returned, all in the east.
“There are no UTU members who have made themselves available for work in Western Canada — zero. “
Gary Anderson, one of the deposed union negotiators, said back-to-work legislation is unnecessary since so many workers are back to work.
But Anderson said CN would rather see workers legislated back to avoid an inferior contract through arbitration. Tom Redgrift, chair of UTU Local 353, said all 75 members who work in the London area have returned.