Toronto/Fraser Valley – – The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (Teamsters) filed appeals challenging the decisions that led to binding arbitration being imposed on workers at CN and CPKC, effectively stripping them of their right to collectively bargain.
“These decisions, if left unchallenged, set a dangerous precedent where a single politician can bust a union at will. The right to collectively bargain is a constitutional guarantee. Without it, unions lose leverage to negotiate better wages and safer working conditions for all Canadians. We are confident that the law is on our side, and that workers will have their voices heard,” said Paul Boucher, President, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference.
The union has filed four separate appeals with the Federal Court of Appeal, challenging the Minister’s referrals and the CIRB’s decisions at both CN and CPKC. The appeals argue, among other things, that workers’ Charter rights were violated.
The union has requested that the court expedite these proceedings.
Teamsters represent close to 10,000 workers at CN and CPKC.
CN Rail rolls through south of the Fraser – through Chilliwack and Abbotsford and into Vancouver.
CPKC rolls north of the Fraser, via Agassiz, Ridge Meadows and onto Vancouver.
