Canada's leading railways under threat of work stoppage in 3 weeks

Posted on May 3, 2024   |  

Canada's two largest railway systems have seen their employees authorize a potential strike, with a remarkable turnout of over 91% in the vote.

Conductors, engineers, yard workers, and dispatchers may initiate a strike as early as May 22nd if no agreement on new contract terms is reached.

The vote resulted in an overwhelming majority of 6,000 Canadian National Railway Co. (CN) employees and 3,300 Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. (CPKC) employees in favor of strike action.

Negotiations are complex due to the discussion of three separate contracts—for CN workers, CPKC workers, and CPKC rail traffic controllers.

A mandatory federal mediation period is scheduled to commence on Wednesday to facilitate discussions between the parties involved.