Locked-out Canadian National Railway workers stand at a picket line as locomotives are moved by management at CN Rail's Thornton Yard, in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday, August 22, 2024. On Thursday, Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to impose binding arbitration on the country's two main railways and their employees amid a work stoppage. THE CANADIAN PRESS.
Businesses and industry leaders are eagerly waiting for news on when Canada's freight trains will resume operations. A full day of halted shipments came after the federal government stepped in to address a work stoppage.
The disruption began after prolonged negotiations failed between Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. and Canadian National Railway Co., leading to a lockout of workers at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday.
Later that day, Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon requested that the Canada Industrial Relations Board impose binding arbitration to resolve the deadlock. He also asked the board to order the railways to restart operations based on the previous collective agreement until new contracts are established.
In response, CN announced that it had lifted its lockout in anticipation of the board's formal order, while CPKC began preparations to resume operations. CPKC also mentioned that the CIRB called an urgent meeting Thursday evening to discuss the resumption of service. However, the Teamsters union has refused to negotiate on resuming service and intends to challenge the constitutionality of MacKinnon's directive.
The work stoppage has disrupted supply chains nationwide and impacted tens of thousands of commuters in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, who rely on CPKC-owned tracks for their travel.
