As major rail companies threaten a lockout, NDP urges labour minister to respect rail workers’ rights

OTTAWA — On Wednesday, NDP critic for Labour, Employment, and Workplace Development MP Matthew Green (Hamilton Centre) wrote to the Labour minister to urge the Liberal government to respect the bargaining process between Teamsters Union rail workers and their employer, CN Rail and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC).
The letter comes after both CN Rail and CPKC has threaten to lock out workers, and have encouraged the Liberal government to implement binding arbitration. Binding arbitration would take away the unions’ power to negotiate for their workers.
“The right to strike is a fundamental right in Canada, and it must be preserved to ensure fair and equitable negotiations,” said Green. “If this government was really committed to workers, they would not use binding arbitration to undermine the union.”
The Teamsters rail workers are bargaining for a fair deal including critical safety measures after relentless cost-cutting measures by the rail companies have led to exhausted crews, jeopardizing their health and safety.
“The resilience and dedication of our rail workers are paramount to Canada's infrastructure and economy,” said Green. “New Democrats will keep fighting to ensure they are treated with the fairness and respect they deserve.”