Canadian rail decision is a win for federally-regulated companies, union leader says
Changes "plea" to "plead" in paragraph 7
By Allison Lampert
MONTREAL, Aug 25 (Reuters) -A decision obliging more than 9,000 Canadian rail workers to stay on the job is a win for the railways and could impact bargaining in other federally regulated sectors like aviation, the head of a Canadian rail workers' union told Reuters.
Paul Boucher, president of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, also said the union would work with other labour groups as it mounts a legal challenge to a Saturday decision that halted work stoppages at the country's two largest railways and imposed arbitration.
While the Teamsters will obey the order to return to work, the union has warned it could lead to the imposition of future contracts, eroding workers' bargaining power. The decision comes as Air Canada pilots AC.TO press for a new contract and can commence job action as early as mid-September if there is no agreement with the country's largest carrier.
Air Canada said on Sunday its intent is to reach a negotiated settlement with the pilots over the coming weeks.
"Any federally regulated company, it's a win for them at this point," Boucher told Reuters in his first interview since the Thursday lockout. "This is disastrous for labour, for workers."
The Canada Industrial Relations Board made the decision after Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon asked it on Thursday to end an impasse in separate talks between the Teamsters, Canadian National Railway CNR.TO, and Canadian Pacific Kansas City CP.TO.
The dispute, which triggered a first ever lockout of Teamsters workers on Thursday at both freight rail carriers, led to unprecedented disruptions that threatened to hammer Canada's export-driven economy, leading agricultural businesses to plead for relief.
CN has said the company would have preferred a negotiated agreement, but was satisfied that the labour stoppage is over. Spokesperson Jonathan Abecassis said on Sunday that CN tried to get an agreement for nine months and made five offers that would have improved wages and working conditions but the union did not engage.
Both railways have said they are focused on restoring service, with the Teamsters calling off a CN strike on Monday, but planning to appeal the decision in federal court.
"This historical moment is so extremely important that labour needs to get involved and they will," Boucher said.
"We're going to be calling on all labour across Canada to join our fight and take this all the way."
Other unions could participate as intervenors in their legal case and lend moral support to the Teamsters, Boucher said.
The 58-year-old Boucher, who once struggled to keep his on-call rail job while raising a child as a single dad, has been bargaining with CN out of a second-floorconference room at a downtown Montreal hotel.
The Teamsters union disagreed with CN and CP over scheduling, shift duration and availability. CN, for example, wants employees to work up to 12-hour shifts, compared with 10 hours in the current agreement, a move opposed by the union.
Boucher said he has been in contact with the union representing more than 5,400 Air Canada pilots who approved a strike mandate last week.
The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) which represents Air Canada pilots, and CPKC were not immediately available for comment.
A spokesperson for Canada's labour minister was not immediately available for comment on whether the decision to impose binding arbitration on railways would serve as a precedent in other sectors, including aviation.
FACTBOX-From fertilizers to coal, Canadian industries to feel the squeeze from rail stoppage nL4N3K60S6
Canada labor board orders end to railway work stoppage nL1N3KB07X
Union vows to fight Canada's move to end rail shutdown, sparking uncertainty nL1N3KA0ET
Canada's rail shutdown could hit GDP hard, kill jobs if protracted nL4N3K81LF
Canada moves to end rail shutdown quickly; CN workers to return to work nL1N3K903H
Reporting By Allison Lampert in Montreal
Editing by Nick Zieminski
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