OTTAWA -- A Federal Court judge has found Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. guilty of contempt of court for employees working excessively long hours.
The ruling says the rail operator failed in 22 instances in 2018 and 2019 to comply with cease-and-desist orders laid out by an arbitrator.
The orders related to rest provisions that largely limit shifts to 10 or 12 hours, depending on the circumstances.
Teamsters Canada president Francois Laporte says in a statement that Canadian Pacific recklessly puts lives on the line in forcing train crews to work longer than allowed.
Canadian Pacific says it disagrees with the Federal Court decision and plans to file an appeal.
The June 6 decision comes less than two months after one of the railway's freight trains went off the tracks due to a washout in Maine that saw locomotives and four derailed lumber cars go up in flames.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2023.
