(The following story by Brent Jang appeared on the Globe and Mail website on February 21.)
OTTAWA — Federal Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn is threatening to order striking Canadian National Railway employees back to work, saying the economy is suffering widespread damage from a slowdown in train service.
Mr. Blackburn said yesterday the Conservative government hopes opposition parties will agree that the “economy is jeopardized.”
The back-to-work notice may be introduced today, he said, meaning that 2,800 striking CN conductors and yard-service staff could return to their jobs by Friday.
Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion said he’s mulling over whether to support the Tories. He added that he’s surprised the government announced a mediator late Monday, but then quickly unveiled plans for back-to-work legislation.
“I don’t understand why they came so speedily and they are contradicting themselves in their decisions. But this being said, it is not impossible that we will support this legislation,” Mr. Dion said.
Andrew Casey, a spokesman for the Forest Products Association of Canada, said his members are hurting because they rely heavily on train service, moving $59-billion worth of goods annually by rail.
A wide range of manufacturers, chemical producers, forestry firms, farming groups and miners have scaled back production since the CN strike began on Feb. 10. “We really need a solution,” Mr. Blackburn said yesterday in Ottawa.
Late Monday, he appointed federal mediator Elizabeth MacPherson to find common ground between CN management and the United Transportation Union.
Montreal-based CN said it’s still transporting goods, but declined to comment on estimates by industry insiders that the railway is running at roughly half the normal rate, based on freight traffic and train times.
The strike enters its 12th day today. Yesterday, the two sides met with the mediator in Montreal, but they were far apart on wages and working conditions.
An estimated 600 CN managers are filling in for striking employees across Canada.
CN spokesman Mark Hallman said the country’s largest railway would prefer to reach a negotiated settlement with the union.
Glenn King, the UTU’s Ontario legislative chairman, said conductors spend much time away from their families as they guide trains on lengthy journeys.
“This is about quality of life, dignity and respect in the workplace,” he said.
UTU members at CN earned an average of $75,000 in 2006, and 25 per cent of the members made more than $90,000 annually.