'Not acceptable': Unions in Calgary push back against order to end rail strike

A day after the federal government stepped in with binding arbitration to force thousands of unionized rail workers back on the job, the union held a rally in Calgary to say they disagree with the move.

A day after the federal government stepped in with binding arbitration to force thousands of unionized rail workers back on the job, the union held a rally in Calgary to say they disagree with the move.

Officials with Teamsters Canada said Friday morning the workers they are fighting for were once recognized heroes, but now with the company locking them out, they're "zeroes."

"They don't care about the people that make them the success they are," said Sean O'Brien, general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents more than a million workers in North America.

Teamsters Canada national president François Laporte said workers "have a constitutional right to be there" and the strike is still on despite what the federal government ordered.

Laporte said Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon's decision on Thursday was likely due to pressure from third parties."

"This was not acceptable. The best way to have a contract is at the bargaining table. We don't believe to let a third party decide what's our working conditions.

"These people are working long hours – they're spending a lot of time away from home. We have to make sure they have decent and reasonable working conditions."