OTTAWA, March 21 (Reuters) – Canada’s labor minister on Friday urged Canadian National Railway (CN) and union leaders to seek voluntary arbitration to avert a strike at the country’s biggest railroad, which she said would damage the economy.
On Thursday, members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union narrowly voted against a tentative agreement reached with the company last month after the government said it would use back-to-work legislation if necessary to keep the railway operating.
Labor Minister Kellie Leitch said she was “disappointed” by the vote result.
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“I urge both parties to consider the best interests of all Canadians and avoid a work stoppage by sending their outstanding issues to voluntary arbitration,” she said in a statement.
“A work stoppage at CN would have damaging effects on our economy – negatively impacting hardworking Canadians across the country, including grain farmers in the Prairies, auto workers in Ontario, and forestry workers in Quebec.”
CN Rail, in a statement after the vote, said it would propose binding arbitration to reach a settlement and requested a union response by the end of Friday.
The dispute comes as CN Rail struggles to move 5,500 cars of grain a week to cope with a massive backlog from a record-shattering harvest in 2013, exacerbated by disruptions caused by an extremely cold winter.
