Canadian Rail Workers Drop CN Strike Threat

Canadian National Railway Co. reached a contract deal with the Canadian Auto Workers union Monday and the union dropped its threat to strike Tuesday, Reuters reported.

In a statement, CN said the deal was tentative and that it would announce the deal after ratification, which CAW expects before the end of February.

CAW represents about 4,300 workers at CN and a subsidiary, including truck drivers at intermodal terminals.

CAW had announced Jan. 13 that it may strike at CN, Canada’s largest railway, as soon as Tuesday. The contract with CN and Canadian Pacific Railway ended Dec. 31 and negotiations since then had not resulted in a new contract before Monday.

Monday's agreement only applies to workers at CN. The union said it would strike at CP as early as Feb. 8 if it did not reach a deal with that railway.

The strikes would not affect both railways’ operations in the United States, as those workers are under a different contract.