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Why Canada is on the verge of an extraordinary rail labor blockage

For the very first time, Canada's. 2 primary railway companies Canadian National Train. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City are on the edge of a. synchronised labor stoppage that could cause billions of. dollars' worth of economic damage.

WHY ARE BOTH BUSINESS POISED TO STOP?

Contract talks between the Teamsters union and the business. typically happen a year apart, but in 2022, after the federal. government introduced brand-new guidelines on tiredness, CN requested a. year-long extension to its existing offer rather than negotiate a. new one.

This indicated both business' labor arrangements expired at the. end of 2023 and talks have actually been continuous since. As an outcome, for. the very first time the failure of negotiations would halt the huge. bulk of the Canadian freight rail system.

The Teamsters represent around 10,000 members who work as. locomotive engineers, conductors, train and lawn employees and. rail traffic controllers at the two companies in Canada.

WHAT IS LIKELY TO HAPPEN NEXT?

CN Rail and CPKC both state they will start locking out. workers in the early hours of Thursday if they can not reach a. deal. The union has actually issued a strike notification to CPKC which would. also take effect early on Thursday.

CPKC, developed in 2023 through a merger of Canadian Pacific. and Kansas City Southern, has a U.S. and Mexican network which. it states will run normally. CN likewise says trains on its U.S. network will run.

That stated, an interruption will still cause delivery. interruptions south of the border. Both rail operators and some of. their U.S. competitors have actually begun to refuse certain cross-border. freights that would rely on the CN and CPKC networks.

CPKC has stated it would stop new rail shipments originating. in Canada, and brand-new U.S. deliveries destined for Canada starting. Aug. 20, if talks stop working to progress.

The trains move grain, automobiles, coal and potash, among other. deliveries.

WHAT ARE THE SIDES ARGUING ABOUT?

The union states CPKC desires to gut the collective arrangement. of all safety-critical tiredness provisions, suggesting teams will. be forced to remain awake longer, increasing the danger of mishaps.

CPKC says its offer preserves the status quo for all work. rules, totally complies with brand-new regulatory requirements for rest. and does not in any way compromise safety.

The Teamsters say CN wants to implement a forced relocation. arrangement, which would see employees bought to cross Canada. for months at a time to fill labor lacks.

CN states it has actually made four offers this year on earnings, rest,. and labor accessibility while staying completely certified with. government-mandated rules managing responsibility and rest periods.

WHAT CAN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DO?

Under post 107 of the federal labor code, Labour Minister. Steven MacKinnon has broad powers and can order the sides to. go into binding arbitration. In 2023, his predecessor, Seamus. O'Regan, issued such an order to end a dockworkers strike in. British Columbia. In that case, unlike the present rail dispute,. the sides had mostly agreed on the describes of a deal.

MacKinnon rejected a request recently by CN for binding. arbitration, prompting the sides rather to put in more effort at. the negotiating table. In a separate statement provided on Monday,. he advised the business and union to put in the hard work required. to reach an offer.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE UNION STRIKES?

Talk of the federal government acting to end a strike is moot, offered. that both companies have actually made clear they will lock out employees.

In case of a strike, the government can present. back-to-work legislation requiring union workers to return to. their tasks. The previous federal Conservative federal government did. that in 2012 to end a walkout by Canadian Pacific workers.

(source: Reuters)