Tories to table back-to-work bill for CN strike; union refuses to ‘cool off’

OTTAWA — The feds have seen enough of the 12-day CN strike that’s crippled several manufacturing sectors and the government now says the “legislation is ready” to force them back to work.

News that Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn will likely table a back-to-work bill today came just before the United Transportation Union rejected a company request for a 60-day “cooling off period” that would send 2,800 conductors and switchyard employees back to work while the two sides chiseled away at a settlement.

Canadian Press reports the Tory legislation could come up for a vote in the House of Commons as early as Thursday. However, it isn’t close to a sure thing as the NDP have already promised to oppose it and several Liberals could likely follow suit.

Facing pressure from large manufacturers and shippers who have been hamstrung due to a lack of operating materials, Blackburn declared that Ottawa would have to step in and stop the strike if the two sides couldn’t agree on a deal in the next day or so.

Despite a smooth start, management in place of the striking workers hasn’t been able to keep freight services moving. The disruption has dealt a heavy blow to several sectors across the country, including forestry, dry bulk, chemical, and parts of the auto industry in Southern Ontario.

The situation at the Port of Vancouver was described as
‘a mess’ by Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn

Imperial Oil, which is experiencing a gas shortage at about 20 percent of its Ontario stations because of a refinery fire, says it can’t get additional supply from the U.S. because of the strike.

The Port of Vancouver, meanwhile, is being described as “a mess.”
The Vancouver Port Authority says cargo volumes are down by 50 percent. “An estimated $730 million in cargo has been held up and the situation is deteriorating,” VPA President and CEO Captain Gordon Houston said in a press briefing.

“Demand for port services is at an all-time high, meaning lost productive days represent business that can’t be recovered. Our customers’ lost sales can’t be made up, as the transportation network is fully booked for months ahead.”

The dispute is compounded by severe winter weather conditions across the transportation network, adds Houston. “The timing of this dispute, in the midst of significant weather-related disruptions to the transportation chain, preys upon those who depend on the port for their livelihoods and makes the situation worse.”

Failing a quick conclusion to the dispute, the VPA is taking steps to mitigate the disruption, including the assurance that illegal picketing will not be tolerated.

“The economy is jeopardized,” Blackburn said outside the Commons, adding that some small communities in Northern Canada aren’t getting fuel and supplies.
On Monday, the Canada Industrial Relations Board refused to rule the strike illegal.

CN was not successful in convincing the CIRB that the strike was out of bounds because Canadian UTU leaders ordered the walk out without authorization from the union’s headquarters in the U.S.

The union removed its chief Canadian negotiator Rex Beatty, and replaced him with two Canadian vice-presidents, John Armstrong and Robert Sharpe.
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.

Workers currently earn an average of $75,000, with a quarter of them paid over $90,000.

Federal back-to-work legislation has been enacted 31 times since 1950 including six times in the rail industry, most recently in 1995, reports CP.

— with files from Canadian Press