Canada rejects CN Rail’s request for binding arbitration in labor dispute

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canadian Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon has rejected a request by CN Rail to initiate binding arbitration in a labor dispute with the Teamsters union, a spokesman for the minister said on Thursday.

In a letter to CN Rail’s lawyers, MacKinnon said it was the shared responsibility of the company and the union to negotiate in good faith. The letter, sent on Wednesday, was released by the Teamsters.