Labour board says strike not illegal; Gov’t mediator named

OTTAWA — The pickets will remain for now at CN terminals across the country after the Canada Industrial Relations Board refused to declare the 10-day strike illegal today.

The railroad took the United Transportation Union before the CIRB to argue that the strike was not legal since Canadian union leaders ordered 2,800 conductors and yard workers to walk off the job without the approval from the organization’s U.S. head office.

According to Canadian Press, the three-member board panel issued an oral ruling quashing CN’s argument that union officials had acted without a proper mandate. Details on the decision will be released later.

Other unions today implored the labor body to sanction the strike. “Fighting the union through the CIRB using a technicality diverts energy away from the main issue — that is, negotiating a settlement to the dispute,” said United Steelworkers National Director Ken Neumann.

UTU’s US parent, which opposes the strike, yanked
the lead Canadian negotiator for two of its own

After the CIRB ruling, the federal government appointed its chief mediator, Elizabeth MacPherson, to help the two sides seek a resolution “in hours, not days,” Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn declared.

The two sides are scheduled to meet with MacPherson Tuesday.

When asked if back-to-work legislation was being considered, Blackburn told CP “all options” are on the table.

The strike has slowed some industries and severely hamstrung others. Lumber markets in B.C. and Saskatchewan have taken big hits, with mill closures in both provinces.

Coal, grain, and other dry bulk commodities have been slowed coming in and out of Lower Mainland ports in B.C. The chemical industry and other liquid bulk sectors have also indicated the strike is devastating business.

“Rail service is essential to the Canadian economy and the strike is beginning to impact our customers and our business,” Chris Pappas, COO of NOVA Chemicals, stated in a press release. “Since the two parties appear to be at an impasse, we believe it is time for the government to intervene on behalf of Canadian business.”

In Southern Ontario, the disruption has particularly taken its toll on Ford, which was forced to shut down its St. Thomas, Ont. plant after having trouble getting car frames and other materials there.

The company announced today it has restarted operations on a “day to day” basis.

Meanwhile, CN will be dealing with a different lead UTU negotiator when the two sides meet — and there’s speculation the change could bring a quicker end to the conflict.

U.S.-based UTU International removed Rex Beatty as lead negotiation and replaced him with two Canadian union vice-presidents, reports CP.

A UTI International spokesperson told the news agency the two vice-presidents “will have full authority to either keep the pickets out or to agree to a cooling-off period.”

The American parent opposed the strike action.

When talks broke off Feb. 9 the railway said UTU’s wage demands of 4.5 percent, 4.5 percent, and 4 percent over three years were unrealistic and are 40 percent higher than the increases the company negotiated in recent collective agreements.

— with files from Canadian Press