The countdown is on for an unprecedented shutdown at both of Canada’s two major railways due to an ongoing labour dispute.
Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), the union representing more than 9,000 workers at CN and CPKC, confirmed Sunday it had served a 72-hour strike notice on the two companies, putting workers in a legal strike position as of Aug. 22 at 00:01 ET.
Meanwhile, a CN release on Sunday said it had issued a notice to the union formally advising of its intentions to lockout workers as of the same date and time, unless a contract agreement of binding arbitration was achieved beforehand.
“Despite negotiations over the weekend, no meaningful progress has occurred, and the parties remain very far apart,” the CN release said. “Unless there is an immediate and definite resolution to the labour conflict, CN will have no choice but to continue the phased and progressive shutdown of its network which would culminate in a lockout.”