All workers have a stake in backing the strike waged by unionists at Canadian National Railway against bosses’ attempts to cut rest periods, increase overtime and continue dangerous remote control operations in rail yards. Use the Militant’s coverage to let your co-workers, family and friends, your union or other groups you’re active in, know why these workers are fighting and what we can do together to support them. Send messages of solidarity and, if you can, visit their picket lines.
Over 3,000 train conductors, trainpersons and yard workers face the howling chorus from the bosses across industry demanding the government act as a strikebreaker by declaring the rail workers’ fight “illegal” and try to force them back to work.
Anti-working-class laws like those in Canada that give the government the right to ban strikes — and similar laws that cover workers in rail, airlines and other industries the bosses’ designate as “essential” in the U.S. — need to be fought.
The bosses’ push to make rail workers toil for even longer hours and to make it more difficult for workers to take time off are a serious threat to the safety of both the workers and those who live near the tracks.
Rail workers across North America confront ongoing moves by the bosses to slash crew sizes and run longer and longer trains to cut jobs and boost profits. This leads to more derailments, injuries and deaths.
In standing up to Canadian National bosses, Teamster rail workers are fighting for working people in communities who live near the tracks, who face devastation when derailments occur. A 72-car oil train derailed and exploded in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, killing 47 people in the town in 2013.
The latest assault on working conditions by CN bosses underlines why workers need to organize and use our unions to wage a fight for workers control over production and safety at the factories, mines, railways and energy monopolies where we work. In rail, this fight goes hand in hand with demands for four-person crews and no trains over 50 cars in length.
This fight being waged by Teamster rail members takes place at the same time copper workers in Arizona and Texas are locked in a tough battle against union busting by Asarco. Build solidarity and weigh in on these two important struggles!