Montreal – The following statement is attributable to Paul Boucher, President, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference.
On Thursday August 22, federal Labour Minister MacKinnon referred rail negotiations to the CIRB for binding arbitration. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference will review the Minister’s referral and the CIRB’s response, consulting with legal counsel to determine the next steps. Meanwhile, picket lines remain in place.
By resorting to binding arbitration, the government has allowed CN and CPKC to sidestep a union determined to protect rail safety. Despite claiming to value and honour the collective bargaining process, the federal government quickly used its authority to suspend it, mere hours after an employer-imposed work stoppage. This action mirrors their earlier interference this year, where they used the CIRB to stifle bargaining for months.
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. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) is deeply disappointed by this shameful decision. The government took this unprecedented step, using this seldom utilized section of the labour code, only because they knew their minority could not gather the support needed to pass a legislated resolution to appease the railways.
At over 130,000 members, Teamsters Canada is the country’s largest transportation and supply chain union. It’s also the largest union in the federally regulated private sector. They are affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents over 1.2 million workers in North America.
