'Not acceptable': Unions in Calgary push back against order to end rail strike

A day after the federal government stepped in with binding arbitration to force thousands of unionized rail workers back on the job, the union held a rally in Calgary to say they disagree with the move.

Officials with Teamsters Canada said Friday morning the workers they are fighting for were once recognized heroes, but now with the company locking them out, they're "zeroes."

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"They don't care about the people that make them the success they are," said Sean O'Brien, general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents more than a million workers in North America.

Teamsters Canada national president François Laporte said workers "have a constitutional right to be there" and the strike is still on despite what the federal government ordered.

Laporte said Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon's decision on Thursday was likely due to pressure from third parties."

"This was not acceptable. The best way to have a contract is at the bargaining table. We don't believe to let a third party decide what's our working conditions.

"These people are working long hours – they're spending a lot of time away from home. We have to make sure they have decent and reasonable working conditions."

Laporte said with CN Rail issuing its own 72-hour strike notice Friday morning, he expects to see labour action continue at that company as well.

"Our legal team is looking at all our options now."

O'Brien says the unions are following a defined strategy in their fight with the railways, but isn't willing to share much more information about it.

"Do you ever tell the guy, 'hey, I'm going to punch you in the face,' before you do it? No, you don't, do you?" he said.

"We're not going to give our strategy up, of course we have a strategy, of course we're going to coordinate – we're brother and sister unions – of course we're going to collaborate.

"There will be a plan in place."

On Thursday, hours after workers went on the picket line, MacKinnon instructed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to impose binding arbitration in order to resume operations under the old collective agreement between the union and the railways.

The decision came after MacKinnon was asked last week to use legislation but denied the request.

Now, without any action, the Canadian economy would be at risk, he said.

"We were hoping to give this process every chance of success," MacKinnon told the media Thursday.

"(We) gave them every possibility and every resource. Unfortunately, we are at an impasse," he said.

Teamsters Canada consists of approximately 130,000 workers in the country and is affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents 1.2 million workers in North America.

(With files from the Canadian Press)