Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. both said lockouts on Aug. 22 are imminent, barring a breakthrough at the bargaining table.
The country's two main railways warned Friday they will lock out their workers in less than two weeks unless the two sides can agree on new contracts, lending fresh weight to the threat of a work stoppage that would snarl supply chains nationwide.
Some 9,300 conductors, engineers and yard workers at CN and CPKC have been bargaining on and off for months over a pair of new collective agreements, on top of a third deal for CPKC rail traffic controllers. "We have made four offers this year — offers that include points on wages and labour availability while maintaining safety, and the union has yet to make as much as a single counteroffer," said CN spokesman Jonathan Abecassis.
Shippers and producers say the potential stoppage at CN or CPKC — or both simultaneously — would halt freight traffic, clog ports and disrupt industries. However, the question of what constitutes an essential service under the Canada Labour Code is "very narrow," it continued.
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