‘It’s been heavily confusing’: Windsor rail workers return to picket lines at CPKC

Teamsters Local 528 workers remained in lockout Friday, even though rail workers at CN returned to work.

“Yesterday, after the minister (Steven MacKinnon) spoke, we were ready to work first thing in the morning. And next thing I know, we're not working, and we're back on the picket line the next day,” Chairperson Ed Vogler told CTV News on Friday.

“It's been heavily confusing. We don't know if we're coming or going.”

On Thursday afternoon, federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon announced he was intervening in the labour dispute between Canadian Pacific Kansas City Rail Ltd. (CPKC) and Canadian National Railway (CN) and Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC).

MacKinnon said he will invoke Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to send the dispute to the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) for binding arbitration.

He also wants the current contract, which expired Jan. 1, 2024, to be extended so the workers could return to work.

As of Thursday evening, the picket line was gone at CPKC’s yard in Windsor, but the CN picket line remained in place.

Friday morning, the opposite is true.

“We just don't know what's going on,” Vogler said. “Either the government is with the employees or they're not with the employees. And, in this case, they were with us, and now they're with the company.”

Vogler represents 11 workers for CPKC in Windsor.

In a news release on the TCRC website posted Friday morning, union officials said they were meeting with the CIRB before removing the picket lines at CPKC.

“Despite the Labour Minister’s referral, there is no clear indication that the CIRB will actually order an end to the labour dispute at CPKC,” the news release read.

Meantime, at 9:52 a.m. Friday, Teamsters issued a 72-hour strike notice to CN, meaning they can walk off the job Monday morning.