Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Plans to Strike on May 22 If No Deal Reached
The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference will meet with Canadian National ahead of its strike deadline on May 13 and Canadian Pacific Kansas City on May 17, the teamsters said in a news release May 2. The teamsters voted on May 1 to strike if no deal is reached with both companies, and the earliest the union could strike would be on May 22, Canadian National said.
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Over 97% of teamsters voted in favor of striking at Canadian National, and 99% for striking at Canadian Pacific Kansas City. The votes all had over 91% of members voting.
Meetings were held on April 29 and April 30 in a meeting supported by Canadian federal conciliators, Canadian National said. The conciliation phase concluded on April 30 and was not extended, the teamsters said.
The teamsters will continue to meet with the companies "in every effort to secure a contract," the teamsters said. The strike vote also shows the two companies that it is time to "quit using the Canadian economy as a shield to propagate their concessions to our collective agreements," the teamsters said.
Canadian National said it continues to work hard to reach a "mutually beneficial agreement" with the teamsters and that after five months of negotiations, the teamsters made "very few concessions" toward an agreement.
Canadian Pacific Kansas City said that it does not want a work stoppage and remains focused on reaching "balanced, responsible agreements" through the collective bargaining agreement. It has made "two distinct offers" to the teamsters leadership that provided significant benefits for its employees and comply with new Canadian regulatory requirements "for rest," Canadian Pacific Kansas City said in an update on May 1.
The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said it is closely monitoring the potential strike, in its Monday Newsletter on May 6.