Could we see another rail strike?

Members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) are in the middle of a strike vote after three collective agreements expired December 31st.

The agreements include CN and CPKC engineers and conductors and the rail traffic controllers at CPKC.

The union represents about 9300 workers, including 6000 conductors, locomotive engineers, and yard workers with CN and  3200 conductors, locomotive engineers, and yard workers at CPKC, as well as the 90 rail traffic controllers with CPKC.

Agents from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service have been involved in the negotiations, however very little progress appears to have been made.

The TCRC website notes that the last meetings with CPKC took place March 27th and 28th, with the next scheduled date for negotiations set for April 23rd and 24th. 

The last negotiations with Canadian National were scheduled to take place April 10th, 11th, 12th, 29th and 30th and then during the week of May 13th and 20th thereafter.

The TCRC electronic strike vote began April 8th and will wrap up  May 1st,  meaning the earliest a strike or lockout can legally occur is May 22nd.

Information on the negotiations can be found at the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference website.