Canadian National & Canadian Pacific Kansas City Workers Vote to Strike
The largest railways in Canada have seen a vote by their employees to go on strike, which may cause a devastating labor disruption and halt the movement of freight shipments nationwide.
While both parties in the labor negotiations remain far apart, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) union reports that its members who work at Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) voted decisively in favor of a strike mandate.
As early as May 22nd, the Teamsters could now demand a nationwide rail strike. If a strike mandate is enacted, approximately 9,900 train conductors, locomotive engineers, and other employees would be impacted.
According to the union, of the 92% of voters that turned up to cast ballots, 98% of said voters supported a strike mandate. All four negotiating groups returned different percentages; however, none was less than 95% in favor of a strike.
The 60-day conciliation period between the railroads and the unions ends with the strike mandate vote. There is now a 21-day cooling-off period for both parties. Until the cooling-off period is over, no lockout or strike is permitted.
Customers of CN were notified yesterday (May 1st) that CN had met on April 29th and 30th to negotiate a contract with TCRC union representatives, with assistance from government conciliators.
According to CN, the union will be unable to get together again until May 13th.
With May 22nd as the possible date that a labor disruption could be initiated, CN’s perspective remains cautious that a deal can be finalized by this date.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact your local BOC representative.
