Canadian rail union files lawsuits challenging back-to-work orders

https://apnews.com/article/canada-railroads-lawsuit-72c821ce22444aabfb7ab06b181d2336

By JOSH FUNK
Updated 4:07 PM CDT, August 30, 2024

The union that represents workers at both of Canada’s largest freight railroads has filed the lawsuits it had promised challenging the orders that forced employees back to work and got the trains moving again, the union announced Friday.

The lawsuits were filed Thursday afternoon, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference said. But they won’t stop the trains because the government has ordered the union to stay on the job while the arbitration process plays out.

“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,” the union’s president, Paul Boucher, said Friday. “We are confident that the law is on our side, and that workers will have their voices heard.”

One of the railroads, CPKC, declined to comment. A spokesperson for the other railroad, Canadian National, said, “CN would have preferred a negotiated settlement. However, after nine months of attempting to reach a settlement, it was evident that the Teamsters were not looking for a resolution and were happy to keep applying pressure by inflicting damage to the Canadian economy.”

FULL story at link above.