Two unions at the Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (CP), representing over 3,300 workers, have given 72-hour notice for a strike that would commence on April 21, 2018 at 12:01am EDT. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference – Train & Engine (TCRC) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) comprised of engineers, conductors, signal and communication workers, are planning the strike due to a lack of progress made at the bargaining table.

Mounting pressure from commodity shippers resulting from a harsh winter and service disruptions is already making it a difficult time for CP. The strike, in conjunction with customer pressure, could have a detrimental impact on CP, causing massive disruption via failures in service and safety.

The Canadian government is monitoring the situation closely and CP is working with both unions to reach a settlement before Saturday, April 21st.

 

04/23/18

CP announced that they are executing a safe shutdown of their train operations.

Intermodal Terminals are open during the strike and containers that arrived at their destination intermodel terminal are available for pickup. Containers that were on the rail during the stoppage are being held at a safe intermediary point until the rail service resumes.

Since April 21st, an embargo application is in place but can be revoked at any time. The application applies to:

  • All shipments being billed to any Canadian or U.S destinations that begin in Canada.
  • All shipments being billed to any Canadian destination that begin in the United States.