Mark Szakonyi, Associate Editor | May 30, 2012 10:11AM EDT
Canadian Pacific Railway shippers came a step closer to getting their raw materials and goods moving again after Canada’s House of Commons passed legislation Wednesday to end a week-long strike.
The back-to-work legislation is expected to pass in the Senate soon, allowing CP to restart Canadian service on Thursday. The strike, spurred largely by a dispute over the trimming of union pensions, hasn’t affected the railroad’s U.S. operations.
If the Senate passes the bill, the dispute between CP and the union, which represents 4,600 engineers, conductors and rail traffic controllers, will be sent to arbitration. Labor Minister Lisa Raitt said the strike has cost the broader Canadian economy roughly $540 million.
Contact Mark Szakonyi at mszakonyi@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter @szakonyi_joc.
