The labor union representing workers at Canadian National Railway Co. has decided to end their picket lines, with employees expected to return to work on Friday. Although the exact timeline for trains to resume operations remains uncertain. Meanwhile, the Teamsters mentioned that the work stoppage at Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. continues until the Canada Industrial Relations Board issues an order, with a hearing scheduled for Friday morning.
In an effort to prevent significant economic repercussions in Canada and the U.S. due to halted train services, the Canadian government intervened late Thursday and mandated arbitration between the country’s two major railroads and their labor union. This action followed over 16 hours of a labor disagreement that resulted in Canadian National and CPKC locking out workers.
The unprecedented situation prompted Canada’s labor minister to refer the dispute to the Canada Industrial Relations Board to enforce binding arbitration. The union and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. officials engaged in discussions with the board on Thursday, with further meetings scheduled for Friday. CPKC expressed readiness to discuss the resumption of services at the meeting, while the union aimed to challenge the constitutionality of the minister’s directive.
The union, representing various railway workers, expressed frustration towards the railroads for allegedly creating a crisis to compel government involvement. Teamsters Canada Rail Conference spokesperson Christopher Monette indicated the union’s intent to challenge the order promptly while planning a rally at CPKC headquarters with Teamsters leadership.
Canada’s freight transport via rail, valued at over $1 billion Canadian daily and carrying over 375 million tons of goods annually, came to a halt on Thursday, affecting cross-border rail shipments to the U.S. Approximately 30,000 Canadian commuters were also impacted. Although operations continued in the U.S. and Mexico, the rail disruption raised concerns among various industries reliant on efficient rail services for their supply chains.
