Arbitration Ends 1-Day Canadian Railway Strike

The work disruption launched by the 3,000 locomotive engineers and conductors of Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd ended abruptly just a day after it started as federal government stepped in, forcing the parties involved to arbitration.

Darrel Sundholm, a locomotive engineer, said if it were up to him and his colleagues, they would have wanted to lengthen their short-lived labour strike. “There’s disappointment, but in a lot of ways, everybody’s glad to be going back to work,” he was quoted by Calgary Herald. “We’re glad to end this thing, and just carry on.”

Federal Labour Minister Kellie Leitch feared for the worst that the work stoppage could bring to Canada’s economy since the transport system not only affects commuters but also major industries throughout North America. Prolonging the labour strike would seriously harm the Canadian economy of over $200 million in lost GDP per week. “I applaud both parties for coming to this agreement that will ensure the continuation of Canada’s rail services."

Although the entry of arbitration offers “some hope” to CP workers in the sense that their employer will be forced to address concerns of the union, Sundholm still isn’t exactly jumping for joy because the arbitration process will effectively take away some of the union’s bargaining power. “Minister Leitch, she really picked one side fast. She picked CPR’s side,” Sundholm said.

Hunter Harrison, CP Rail chief executive, said the company would likewise prefer to have a negotiated deal with the union members. But at the moment, “this is the right thing to do at this time,” he said.

“I do believe there are still numerous issues on the table and I’m confident that the mediation and arbitration process will get them to the place where they need to be,” Leitch told reporters on Parliament Hill.

The company and the union members were trying to work out on a number of issues, including wages, benefits, scheduled work and rest times before the strike started on Sunday. Although Leitch’s major concern was averted, the short-lived walkout still managed to cause some disruptions. CP-run commuter lines didn’t service in Montreal on Monday, forcing some 19,000 people to take the shuttle buses to work.

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