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Teamsters launch court appeal of feds' move to end rail shutdown

  • Christopher Reynolds

    Christopher Reynolds

  • Canadian Press

  • August 30, 2024

A CP train comes through Cooksville Go Station after a nationwide railway work stoppage resumed in Mississauga, Ont., Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. The union representing thousands of railworkers is appealing the federal government's decision to end a rail shutdown that halted freight traffic and commuters across the country. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paige Taylor White

The union representing thousands of railroaders has appealed the moves that ended the rail shutdown last week -- a work stoppage that halted freight and commuter traffic across the country.

In filings to the Federal Court of Appeal, the Teamsters union challenged directives for binding arbitration issued to a labour board by federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon last week following the lockout of 9,300 workers by Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd.

In response to MacKinnon's instructions, the Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered the country's two major railways to resume operations and employees to return to their posts until binding arbitration could produce new contracts.

The union is also contesting the tribunal's decisions.

Paul Boucher, president of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, says the actions set a "dangerous precedent" that threatens workers' constitutional right to collective bargaining.

"Without it, unions lose leverage to negotiate better wages and safer working conditions for all Canadians," Boucher said in a release.

The railway companies, along with some industry groups, have said the minister's move ended months of needless uncertainty and subdued supply chain turmoil after the Teamsters rejected requests for arbitration.

MacKinnon made the back-to-work directive less than 17 hours after the lockouts -- as well as a strike by CPKC's employees, but not CN's -- took effect. He said the negotiations were at an impasse and Canadian businesses, job security and trade relationships were at stake.

Industry groups had been sounding the alarm for weeks over the economic consequences of a drawn-out shutdown. To ensure no freight would be stranded, CN and CPKC wound down their operations in phases, starting nearly three weeks ago.

Last week, traffic of cargo ranging from car parts to crude oil, consumer goods, grain and potash ground to a complete halt, temporarily upending supply chains.

More than 30,000 commuters in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver also found themselves unable to board passenger trains that run on CPKC-owned tracks.

The labour board's Aug. 24 ruling requires railways to continue operations and workers to stay on the job until arbitration wraps up.

The union filed four separate appeals in a Toronto courthouse late Thursday afternoon that seek a judicial order "quashing" the minister's directives and the labour tribunal's decisions related to CN and CPKC.

After an acrimonious few weeks, the Teamsters and the two railways are slated to meet next month for the first time since the work stoppage to discuss a timeline for binding arbitration.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 30, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CNR, TSX:CP)