General Committee of Adjustment CP West
Laval, QC, June 7, 2023 – A federal
judge has found Canadian Pacific to be in contempt of court after the
company forced train crews to work excessively long hours in violation
of a court order to abide by the collective agreement and Transport
Canada regulations.
The contempt motion was filed by the union
representing rail workers, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC). To
read the ruling, click here.
Crew fatigue is a
well-documented safety hazard in the rail industry. From the early 1990s
until mid-2022, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada has identified
fatigue as a factor in at least 32 train derailments and other
accidents. Rail workers are constantly on call and may work no longer
than 12 hours under Transport Canada regulations, or 10 hours under
certain provisions of the collective agreement.
The judge found
“beyond a reasonable doubt” that the rail company “intentionally”
overworked train crews in 22 incidents of the 38 presented. However, the
judge also noted that “CP’s own evidence was that thousands of
situations continue to occur annually” where train crews are not
relieved from work in time.
“Canadian Pacific recklessly puts
lives on the line in forcing so many train crews to work longer than
allowed. They do this because they operate under the dangerous delusion
that they are above the law, and that it’s OK to ignore the court orders
on safety issues. This company needs to smarten up and stop putting
profits over people before another tragedy occurs,” said the National
President of Teamsters Canada, François Laporte.
“Despite
everything they say, rail companies in this country just don’t take
safety seriously enough. Another Lac Mégantic can happen at any moment,
and Ottawa seems unable or unwilling to do anything about it. Canadians
can count on the Teamsters to fight tooth and nail for rail safety. We
will never back down when lives and communities are at stake,” said the
President of the TCRC, Paul Boucher.
The penalties will be
determined in a separate hearing.
With over 125,000 members, Teamsters Canada is the country’s largest transportation and supply chain union. It’s also the largest union in the federally regulated private sector. The organization represents workers at CP, CN, UPS, Purolator, countless trucking companies, and more. They are affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents over 1.2 million workers in North America.
-30-
Media requests: Christopher Monette, Director of Public Affairs,
Teamsters Canada
Cell: 514-226-6002 | cmonette@teamsters.ca