Canadian rail workers could find themselves on a surprise summer vacation if labour talks between their union and the country’s two largest railroads don’t turn around before midnight.
What happened: To avoid shipments and trains getting stuck in the wrong places, Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National Railway (CN) have stopped moving some goods into and within Canada ahead of a Thursday lockout deadline set by both companies.
- The union representing nearly 10,000 rail workers says its aim is to improve wages and working conditions, and win flexibility for workers who are managing fatigue.
- CN says it has offered raises of about 30%, which would bring the average salary of a CN conductor to $157,300, and the average salary of an engineer to $195,000.
Catch-up: Talks have been ongoing since last year but the possibility of a rail stoppage became a reality on Aug. 9, after the government had found that a pause in the transport of critical supplies, like food and energy, would not impact Canadians’ health and safety.
Why it matters: Canadian railways carry more than $1 billion worth of goods each day, and over half of exports travel by rail. Shutting down the shipping network would impact the farming and energy sectors, as well as several commuter trains in big Canadian cities.—SB