Reading Time: 2 minutes A decision obliging more than 9,000 Canadian rail workers to stay on the job is a win for the railways and could impact bargaining in other federally regulated sectors like aviation, the head of a Canadian rail workers' union told Reuters.
Canadian rail decision is a win for companies, union leader says
Canada labour board orders end to railway work stoppage
Teamsters say decision sets dangerous precedent, will challenge the move in federal court if needed
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered on Saturday a halt to work stoppages at the country's largest railways, signaling an end to an unprecedented service disruption at both main freight rail carriers that threatened to hammer Canada's export-driven economy.
CN workers threaten strike, vow to fight Canada move to end rail shutdown
Reading Time: 2 minutes The union representing workers at Canadian National Railway said on Friday they would strike next week, in a fresh threat to the economy after vowing to challenge a government decision to end an unprecedented rail stoppage.
Drought, costs bring U.S. berry giants to maple syrup land
U.S. firms testing commercial production in Quebec, Ontario
Reading Time: 3 minutes Montreal/Ottawa | Reuters — A swath of Canada better known for maple syrup is being tested to mass produce berries normally grown in warmer locales, making it the unexpected beneficiary of extreme weather, local demand and rising costs in traditional growing areas like California. Driscoll’s and grower-owned Naturipe Farms, two of North America’s largest fruit […] Read more
CN sees eastern network revival on supply chain diversity, ports
Reading Time: 2 minutes Montreal | Reuters — Canadian National Railway, the country’s biggest railroad, is banking on growth in consumer products and supply-chain diversification in Asia, to revive traffic on its underutilized eastern Canadian rail lines, the company’s CEO told Reuters Friday. Coronavirus, which hit China’s industrial production, along with U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, are further leading […] Read more
CN faces grain export backlog of 10,000 carloads, CEO says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Montreal | Reuters — Canadian National Railway (CN) lost capacity equivalent to 10,000 carloads, or one million tonnes of grain exports, in February due to rail blockades by protesters opposed to a pipeline project, CEO Jean-Jacques Ruest said Tuesday. Activists disrupted passenger and freight traffic last month to show solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en people, who […] Read more
CN starts calling back laid-off employees
"Network recovery... will take several weeks"
Reading Time: < 1 minute Montreal | Reuters — Canadian National Railway has started calling back many of the 450 workers it laid off earlier this month in Eastern Canada, when blockades crippled operations on strategic rail lines, according to a company email sent to customers Friday. Earlier this week, police made 10 arrests and cleared a blockade in eastern […] Read more
Teamsters seek charges against CP to cap working hours
Reading Time: 3 minutes Montreal/Toronto | Reuters — A union is taking the unusual step of pursuing contempt of court charges against Canada’s second-largest railroad, in a previously unreported case that escalates the debate over working hours for railroad employees, according to two sources and legal documents. The Teamsters union argued in court filings that Canadian Pacific Railway should […] Read more
Worker’s plea for rest spurs breakthrough in CN strike, union says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Montreal | Reuters — As Canada’s biggest rail strike in a decade dragged on with no resolution in sight, the recorded pleas of an exhausted rail worker who wanted a break after a 10-hour shift helped deliver a critical breakthrough, a union leader told Reuters on Tuesday. The audio recording, released on Monday by Teamsters […] Read more
CN, Teamsters reach deal to end strike
Reading Time: < 1 minute Montreal | Reuters — Teamsters Canada and Canadian National Railway on Tuesday said they reached a tentative deal to end a strike at the country’s largest railroad that had entered its eighth day, disrupting supply chains across the country. “We have a deal,” a CN spokesman said. The union said normal operations will resume on […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
