Members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) who went on strike just after midnight on Feb. 14 have agreed to return to work at Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway. Service at CP was set to resume on Feb. 17 after the Canadian government indicated it would act quickly to introduce back-to-work legislation to end the strike.
The walkout by 3,300 locomotive engineers, conductors, and other rail workers forced CP to curtail operations, prompting the government on Feb. 15 to quickly announce its decision to intervene. “For every day of work stoppage, our economy and trade relationships will be further undermined,” said Labour Minister Kellie Leitch. The legislation was tabled on Feb. 16 after TCRC announced an end to the strike.
TCRC and CP will now return to the negotiating table with the help of federal arbitrators. Leitch acknowledged that the two sides were still “not close to a deal” after months of negotiations, with workload fatigue and the lack of reliable schedules still at issue. “I do believe there are still numerous issues on the table and I’m confident that the mediation and arbitration process will get them to the place where they need to be,” Leitch said.
Unifor, another union that represents approximately 1,800 workers at CP who conduct safety inspections and perform maintenance and repairs on railcars and locomotives, had also planned to go on strike at 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 15. The strike was averted, however, after a tentative agreement was reached between Unifor and CP just minutes before the strike deadline.