Our Blog

Canada Rail Lockout: The Canadian Government has stepped in to end the temporary work stoppage by forcing arbitration between the railways and the Teamsters, the Canada Industrial Relations Board will assist with mediation. Canadian Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon directed the labor board to extend the terms of the current agreements until new agreements are signed.

The Canadian Rail lockout commenced last night at 12:01 am. The lockout of over 9,000 rail workers was implemented by management of Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) railways barring employees from working which is different than a union-led strike. This work stoppage could possibly push negotiations forward avoiding a more disruptive strike later this year.

The Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) railways issued a formal lockout and strike warning on Sunday that will both commence Thursday at 12:01 am. In an effort to maintain an orderly shutdown, the railroads have begun embargoing shipments.

WSSA continues to monitor the situation in Canada and the USA East Coast as strike dates get closer.

WSSA has continued to monitor the potential strike situation in Canada. As of August 9, news reports state that the CIRB/Canada Industrial Relations Board ruled “a work stoppage on Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) would not cause an immediate threat to public health and safety”. This ruling has heightened the prospect of a strike or lockout by August 22.