Late last week, the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) issued decisions in relation to both Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) labour disputes, stating in both decisions that a work stoppage “would not result in such an immediate and serious danger” to the safety and health of the public.

Both railways stated last week that without common ground on new contracts with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, approximately 9300 yard workers, engineers and conductors would be locked out as of August 22. 

As reported by BNN Bloomberg on August 13^th

“The country’s two main railways have started to halt shipments ahead of a potential strike or lockout next week, the first step toward a possible shutdown as the bargaining deadline approaches. Canadian National Railway Co. said in an internal memo obtained by The Canadian Press that the company began to embargo hazardous goods from the U.S. on Monday in anticipation of a work stoppage.” CN Rail, CPKC begin halting shipments of certain goods as strike threat looms – BNN Bloomberg. [Click to Read]

On August 15^th, CBC News reported that Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon had rejected a request from CN for binding arbitration, which the Minister has the ability to order under section 107 of the Canada Labour Code. 

The Minister stated,

"I would like to clarify that it is your shared responsibility — Canadian National Railways Company and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference — to negotiate in good faith and work diligently towards a new collective agreement. I trust that with continued effort, an agreement can be achieved promptly. The government firmly believes in the collective bargaining process and trusts that mutually beneficial agreements are within reach at the bargaining table.”

Labour minister rejects CN Rail's call for binding arbitration as lockout looms | CBC News [Click to Read]

Attached is the letter sent by WRLA to Minister MacKinnon, stressing the need for the government to use every tool at its disposal to ensure no service disruption, emphasizing how the supply chain constraints experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and after were disastrous for business and workers, and reverberated through the entire economy. We encourage you to send this letter to your local MP in order to stress the importance of rail for our industry and avoid any disruption.

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