Update: Grain workers who were on strike in Vancouver are returning to work as early as Saturday (Sept. 28) morning after reaching a tentative four year deal on Friday evening. Read more here. The timing couldn't be worse for a port strike and the union representing grain workers in the six main grain terminals in... Read More
Category: Logistics
As railway traffic begins to get back to normal, there are still lingering issues that need addressed regarding how Canada found itself in a dual railway strike at all. "I hope this strike has shown our government that our system is broken," says Karen Proud, president and CEO of Fertilizer Canada. Proud says that this... Read More
While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland say applying steep tariffs on electric vehicles (EVs) and steel from China is in Canada's national interest, the organization that represents Canada's agri-food exporting sectors is reminding the government it's also in Canada's interest to maintain an international rules-based system for trade. The Canadian government,... Read More
It has been quite the past week in covering the events leading up to the Canada-wide rail strike and lockout. Then on Thursday afternoon, just 17 hours after the lockout began, the federal labour minister initiated Section 107 to force binding arbitration through the Canada Industrial Relations Board. With the union serving a new 72-hour... Read More
Update, as of 11:30am eastern, August 23: After announcing early Friday morning that CN Rail workers were taking down picket lines and returning to work, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference has served 72-hour strike notice to CN, as of 10am, Friday, August 23. This means around 6,500 CN workers, who were locked out on August... Read More
The trains are parked and picket lines are set up at railway yards, as the Canadian railway system has been shutdown by an unprecedented work stoppage. As of Thursday, August 22 at 00:01 Eastern time, both national railways — CN and CPKC — have locked out over nine thousand employees represented by the Teamsters Canada... Read More
Update: As of Thursday, August 22 at 00:01 eastern time, trains are parked and picket lines have formed at CN and CPKC offices and rail yards across the country as the railways and union failed to reach new collective bargaining agreements prior to the strike/lockout deadline. I feel like all I have talked about on... Read More
The impacts of an impending dual rail strike are already being felt by Canada's export-dependent industries and individual farmers, but the pain is about to get a whole lot worse for businesses and, in turn, Canadians. At a press conference today, several producer groups, including the Grain Growers of Canada, the Canola Council of Canada,... Read More
Just ahead of both CN and Canadian Pacific Kansas City rail locking out employees and/or unionized employees walking off the job Thursday, several industry voices are getting louder, calling on the Minister of Labour to use section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to avoid the strike entirely. "The Canadian Meat Council (CMC) and the... Read More
The final countdown is on toward an unprecedented rail system shutdown across Canada later this week. As of Sunday, both of Canada's main railways — CN and CPKC — have formally issued notice to the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference that they will be locking out over nine thousand TCRC-represented employees on Thursday, August 22 at... Read More