CP Rail. Credit: Twitter handle of Canadian Pacific
| Ottawa/CMEDIA: As a result of the agreement to binding arbitration between Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. (CP Rail) and Canada Teamsters Union, about 3,000 conductors, engineers, and train and yard workers at CP Rail will be back on the job Tuesday. Canadian operations by CP Rail were shut down on Sunday after a work stoppage began just before midnight. With the agreement to go to arbitration, the workers, represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), will go back to work at noon local time today. The two sides have been meeting with the help of federal mediators. In a statement issued early Tuesday morning, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference spokesperson Dave Fulton said while arbitration was not the preferred method, TCRC was able to negotiate terms and conditions that were in the best interest of its members, with wages and pensions still stumbling blocks. Fulton also noted the decision to agree to final and binding arbitration was not taken lightly. CP President and CEO Keith Creel said in a statement the railway company is pleased to have reached the agreement to enter into binding arbitration, enabling it “to resume our essential services for our customers and the North American supply chain” adding that the company will immediately begin working with customers to resume normal train operations across Canada as soon as possible. Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan tweeted his thanks to the two sides, posting “I congratulate the parties for staying at the table and coming to a resolution with the help of federal mediators.” |
O’Regan said in a later statement, the outcome “is further evidence that when employers and unions work together, we get the best results for Canadians and our economy” and vowed to s in Calgary until an agreement was reached.
#CPRAil; #CanadaTeamsters; #AgreeToFinalArbitration
