CN Strike Back Before Labour 'Court'

By Michelle Cyr-Whiting

                                           - three CN locomotives in the local rail yard along

The Canadian Industrial Relations Board will continue its hearing today on CN Rail’s application to have a strike by its Canadian conductors declared illegal.

The conductors, members of the United Transportation Union, have been off the job since February 10th.  CN is trying to maintain freight operations across the country with management personnel filling striking workers’ jobs.

But, by the end of last week, the local forest industry was noticing a marked decrease in the availabilty of rail cars to move product.  Canfor cited the ongoing dispute at CN as one of the reasons for its decision to temporarily shutdown three operations in the north. (click here, for that story)

West Fraser President and CEO, Hank Ketchum, says the government needs to be in a position to take whatever steps are necessary to react, if the labour dispute is not resolved at today’s hearing.  Ketchum says CN announced a plan to maintain service at 65-percent of normal levels when the strike first began, but he says last week service levels and car supply were reduced to about 25-percent of normal.  Ketchum says, "We’re diverting whatever we can to truck and other railways, but with our remote location, this is very costly and volume is small."

On Friday, CN issued a news release saying the UTU general chair had refused a comprehensive company offer to resume collective bargaining today and for the immediate return to work by striking conductors and yard-service employees.

The two sides are maintaining normal commuter rail operations on CN lines in Toronto and Montreal.

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