The Canadian railway system has been struck with two major work stoppages amid failed labor negotiations Aug. 22.

Canadian businesses are warning about potential long-term damage to the economy if railway and port strikes go ahead and choke the country’s vital trading arteries.

The Canadian government has denied an arbitration request by Canadian National Railway Co., increasing the likelihood of a nationwide work stoppage by thousands of its unionized workers.

The ruling found that a work stoppage between the Teamsters and rail companies would not pose an immediate threat to public health and safety, meaning a strike could occur as soon as Aug. 22.

Canadian National Railway made a revised offer May 16 to the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, raising hopes of a settlement in a labor dispute.

Daimler Truck North America inked a tentative four-year labor agreement with the UAW on April 26, hours before the prior deal at Freightliner manufacturing sites in the U.S. was set to expire.

Southwest Airlines has reached a contract with its ramp, operations, provisioning and freight agents that’ll give workers an average pay increase of over 18%.

WASHINGTON — U.S. employers delivered a stunning burst of hiring to begin 2024, adding 353,000 jobs in January in the latest sign of the economy shrugging off a period of high interest rates.

The nation’s employers added a robust 216,000 jobs in December 2023, the latest sign that the American labor market remains resilient even in the face of sharply higher interest rates.

The nation’s employers added a solid 199,000 jobs in November and the unemployment rate fell, fresh signs that the economy could achieve an elusive “soft landing.”