Strike Looms Again as Teamsters Serve CN Notice for Aug. 26
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A union filed strike notice against Canada’s largest railway on Aug. 23 just hours after trains began rolling again, likely derailing plans to revive vital shipping networks.
The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference told Canadian National Railway Co. in a letter that it plans to withdraw the services of its roughly 6,500 members effective 10 a.m. Toronto time on Aug. 26. It’s the latest development in labor strife at Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. that began early Aug. 22.
Canadian National trains began running again early Aug. 23 after the company ended a lockout against Teamsters members the previous evening. It did so after the country’s labor minister asked an independent tribunal to order binding arbitration. The union had not filed formal strike notice against the company, so members returned to work.
The new strike notice is set to interrupt Canadian National’s reopening of its network, which would have taken days before reaching previous shipment levels. The company began winding down its operations more than a week ago in anticipation of the stoppage.
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“This furthers the point we were trying to make that we did not have a partner that was looking for a resolution. This confirms that the only thing the Teamsters were interested in was holding the economy hostage,” said Canadian National spokesperson Jonathan Abecassis in an interview.
The Canada Industrial Relations Board has not yet ruled on Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon’s request for binding arbitration. He also asked the board to extend the workers’ expired contracts until new ones can be signed and for railway operations to resume “forthwith.”
Even if the board orders arbitration, it’s unclear whether that decision will force the employees back to work. In July, the board ruled WestJet Airlines employees had a right to strike despite a government request for arbitration.
Ongoing Stoppage
The union had previously filed strike notice against Canadian Pacific, and thousands of workers stayed off the job at the Calgary-based railway Aug. 23. The company said in a statement that the union has signaled it plans to challenge the constitutionality of the minister’s order.
“The work stoppage at CPKC remains ongoing pending an order from the Canada Industrial Relations Board,” a Teamsters spokesperson said in a statement. “Despite the labor minister’s referral, there is no clear indication that the CIRB will actually order an end to the labor dispute at CPKC.”
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Canadian Pacific said it was disappointed that the union refused to discuss any resumption of service during a case management conference on Aug. 22. The board was set to bring the parties together for another meeting on Aug. 23.
“Any decision by the CIRB on the resumption of service will be delayed. CPKC remains prepared to resume service as soon as it is ordered to do so by the CIRB,” the company said.
Business groups in Canada and the US had been calling on the Canadian government to intervene, as the lockout disrupted the countries’ interconnected supply chains. Commodities like coal, wheat, fertilizer and lumber depend on the railways, and there are few shipping alternatives.
Teamsters, which represents nearly 10,000 workers at the two railways, said its members were negotiating provisions to address scheduling and crew fatigue. The previous collective agreements expired at the end of 2023.
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