The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, representing workers at Canada’s two largest freight railroads—Canadian National (CN) and CPKC—filed lawsuits on August 30, contesting the government’s orders that forced employees back to work amid an ongoing contract dispute. The union’s legal action comes in response to the intervention by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, which stepped in after both rail companies locked out their workers on August 22.
The central issue at stake is the union’s right to collective bargaining, which the Teamsters argue was undermined by the government’s back-to-work order. “The right to collectively bargain is a constitutional guarantee,” said Paul Boucher, President of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference. “Without it, unions lose leverage to negotiate better wages and safer working conditions for all Canadians.” The union remains confident that the law will support their position, ensuring that workers’ voices are heard.
The lawsuits aim to prevent the government from setting a precedent that could weaken unions’ negotiating power in future labor disputes. Despite the legal challenge, trains continue to operate as the dispute is now in arbitration, per the government’s orders.
The nearly 10,000 rail workers represented by the union have been negotiating with CN and CPKC for almost a year without reaching an agreement. The deadlock centers around the railroads’ proposal to shift from a mileage-based pay and scheduling system to an hourly-based one. The union argues that this change could undermine protections against worker fatigue and compromise safety standards.
The union is also challenging the Labor Minister’s directive that sent the matter into arbitration, as well as a decision by the Canada Industrial Relations Board that forced workers back to their jobs. While CPKC declined to comment on the ongoing legal proceedings, Canadian National has yet to respond.
CN resumed operations on August 23 after a brief shutdown, while CPKC was back in action by August 26, following the implementation of the back-to-work order. Despite the ongoing legal battle, rail services continue uninterrupted as the arbitration process unfolds.
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