>>No they can't do that in the US either.<<
Well, under the Railway Labor Act, in event of a legal strike, management is free to impose new wages and work rules without shutting down the company.
See:
"If federal mediators make the request, and either side turns it down, a 30-day cooling off period would begin. At the end of that period, pilots could strike and the Atlanta-based carrier could impose its own work rules or lock the pilots out."
http://enquirer.com/editions/2001/03...ws_pilots.html