The Canadian government has quickly put an end to a shutdown of the country’s major freight railroads. The government ordered binding arbitration to resolve the labor dispute between the railroads and the union. The shutdown, which lasted less than 17 hours, had the potential to cause severe disruptions in both the US and Canadian economies. Industries such as agriculture, automobiles, energy, lumber, and chemicals were at risk of disruption. The move to arbitration is a setback for the union, but a victory for the railroads that had sought government intervention.
