The Canadian government quickly intervened to end a major rail work stoppage involving Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) and Canadian National Railway (CN) after both companies locked out workers due to failed contract negotiations with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference.

The work stoppage, lasting less than 17 hours, could have severely impacted the economy and had threatened to disrupt crucial supply chains across North America, including shipments of cars, timber, and agricultural products.

The decision to resume operations follows an intervention by Canada’s Minister of Labour, Steven MacKinnon, who directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to enforce final binding arbitration between the railroads and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference. Until new agreements are reached through arbitration, MacKinnon has orchestrated for the union's previous contracts to remain in effect to prevent further economic impact whilst negotiations continue. This move allows both railroads to restart their regular operations while the dispute is being resolved and ensures that vital rail services resume across Canada and the United States.

Woodland Group is closely monitoring the situation to determine when normal operations could be resumed to reroute our operations back though the Canadian railways.

Should you have any questions, please contact your local Woodland representative or contact us here.