Railway Workers Authorize Strike Action Again

Railway workers at Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) have once again overwhelmingly voted in favour of strike action. 

The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), the union that represents the workers, announced Saturday that nearly 10,000 workers voted 98.6% in favour of a strike if a negotiated settlement cannot be reached.  

Workers at CN and CPKC had previously voted to authorize strike action on May 1, and workers would have been in a legal strike position on May 22. However, the federal government on May asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to determine whether any shipments must continue in the event of a work stoppage – a move that preempted any strike or lockout pending the board’s ruling. 

Since strike authorization votes are only good for 60 days, the union was forced to seek another mandate from its members. 

“With this renewed strike mandate, we intend to go back to the bargaining table, work with federal mediators, and do everything in our power to reach a fair deal for our members and protect all Canadians,” Paul Boucher, President, TCRC, said in a release. 

In its own statement Friday, CPKC said it remains unclear when the CIRB will issue a decision.  

However, based on precedent, CPKC said it is unlikely the union or the company will be in a position to initiate a legal strike or lockout before mid-July or later. In any event, a legal strike or lockout cannot occur unless a minimum of 72 hours’ notice is provided under the Canada Labour Code, it added. 

CPKC said it has further requested that the CIRB extend the cooling-off period for 30 days after the date on which the CIRB issues its ruling. This would help provide stability and predictability regarding the timelines for a potential work stoppage and allow all stakeholders to plan for such an eventuality, the company said.