Freight rail service in Canada could grind to a halt this week as Canadian rail workers disagree over new terms of their contracts.
Canadian National Railway (CNI) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP) have announced a lockout for Thursday. Unless a last-minute deal is struck with carriers, it will be the first time the two largest rail companies have faced simultaneous work stoppages.
Why are both of Canada’s largest rail companies preparing to strike?
There are two major freight train companies in Canada: Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPCC).
Workers at both companies are represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, which typically negotiates with management companies.
CN asked for an extension to its current contract in 2022 as it worked to understand new federal regulations regarding employee workloads. As a result, about 10,000 CN and CPCC workers’ contracts expired last year.
Teamsters have been in talks with both railroads since the agreement expired, and both sides say they have made little progress.