More than 3,000 Canadian National Railway Co. (CN) train operators went on strike just past midnight on Tuesday morning, shutting down Canada’s largest rail network.
The workers, represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, and CN failed to reach an agreement on a new contract after several months of mediated talks, the union said.
CN has advised they will be forced to wind down rail operations as they do not have sufficient qualified managers to safely maintain normal freight operations during this strike.
The two sides failed to reach an agreement despite the urging of two federal ministers on Monday night. Transport Minister Marc Garneau and Labour Minister Patty Hajdu met with CN and union representatives separately in Montreal to try to settle their differences.
Via Rail, Canada’s passenger train service that operates mainly on CN lines, will not be adversely affected by the strike, the union has said. Similarly, commuter rail operations in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal will be unaffected.
We will continue to monitor the situation and advise accordingly.
For more information, please call Debbie McGuire, Manager – Freight Solutions at (905) 882-4880, ext. 308.
