November 21, 2019 – There has been no significant update in the negotiations. Although CN Rail claims that intermodal trains are running normally, Canaan Transport is assuming that come this weekend, there will be significant delays if the strike continues. We have been asked to provide CN’s website for daily labor negotiation update . Please see the following. https://www.cn.ca/en/media/labour-negotiations-update/
November 20, 2019 – Whether or not this is an intentional silence during negotiations, no news has come out of the federally mediated talks between CN Rail and its union. Canaan Transport interprets this as a good sign and sources indicate that a deal could be announced by the end of the week to avoid additional delays or impact to the economy. More news as it develops.
November 20, 2019 – Negotiations are expected to resume today between CN Rail and its union with the help of the federally appointed mediator. As an update, we are currently able to transload cargo in Vancouver to expedite it to Toronto for customers that need this urgent service. Please contact our Richmond office for more details.
November 19, 2019 – As of noon Tuesday, November 19th, Canaan Transport has been informed of the following update from CN.
• The Federal mediator is still involved in negotiations between the railway and the union and both will continue to negotiate today.
• In the meantime CN is unwinding the railroad and taking trains offline.
• There will be no new releases for manifest customers due to safety concerns.
• There will be no new trains loaded at origin.
• CN will be running limited operations where it can but is far from having a sufficient amount of managers to run the trains.
November 19, 2019 – With contract talks at an impasse, CN Rail has now been hit with strike action and all cargo movements have been effectively curtailed. We are notifying our customers on a priority basis and we ask for your patience as this situation plays itself out. Please contact us if you have any immediate concerns.
November 18, 2019 – We would like to update you on CN’s collective bargaining with the Teamsters Canadian Rail Conference (TCRC-CTY), which represents approximately 3,200 of CN employees working as train conductors and railyard coordinators in Canada. Both parties have been in active negotiations all day with the assistance of a federally appointed mediator. Both sides are hoping for a deal before the strike deadline of 00:01 hours EST Tuesday, November 19, 2019.
In the event of a work stoppage:
• Should TCRC employees decide to strike, CN Rail will not be able to continue operations due to the size of the strike and there will be significant disruption to all levels of service.
• In case of a work stoppage, Canaan Transport has alternative means to move goods, albeit at a higher cost. Please contact us and we can advise your options.
November 18, 2019 – We would like to update you on CN’s collective bargaining with the Teamsters Canadian Rail Conference (TCRC-CTY), which represents approximately 3,200 of CN employees working as train conductors and railyard coordinators in Canada. Negotiations continued throughout the night and early morning and will resume later today. We will continue to work with the TCRC-CTY in order to reach a fair agreement before the strike deadline of 00:01 hours EST Tuesday, November 19, 2019. This weekend, CN has been clearing their mainline to prevent trains from becoming stranded out on the network if a labour stoppage occurs. Similarly, as communicated last night, to keep their yards from becoming congested at the time of a work stoppage, as of this morning they have stopped pulling cars released from customer sidings. Canaan Transport continues to monitor the situation closely.
November 17, 2019 – Conductors, Trainpersons and Yardpersons (TCRC-CTY), which represents approximately 3,200 CN employees working as train conductors and railyard coordinators in Canada, issued a strike notice on Saturday, putting them in a position to strike as early as 00:01 hours Eastern time on Tuesday, November 19. CN advises that it will continue to negotiate in good faith to reach a fair agreement before the strike deadline and remains committed to constructive talks to reach an agreement without a work stoppage. In a notice to stakeholders, James Cairns, Senior Vice-President, Rail Centric Supply Chain and Keith Reardon, Senior Vice-President, Consumer Product Supply Chain, said they believe that, with the assistance of federal mediators, CN and the Teamsters can avoid a labour dispute that would be "very disruptive to the Canadian economy." In the event of a work stoppage, said the notice, CN does not have a sufficient number of qualified managers to maintain safe operations across its Canadian network. Should employees decide to strike, customers should anticipate service disruptions. The Freight Management Association of Canada shared that it was informed of the involvement of Labour Canada’s mediators in the negotiations. In other CN-related news, the company announced last week that it will "lay off an unspecified number of workers and take other measures to reflect demand," as reported by Global News.
November 14, 2019 – Local snowy and cold weather are still hampering pickups and deliveries in the Toronto region. Affected customers will be contacted if there are delays with your shipments. Thank you for your patience.
November 11, 2019 – Due to the snow storm in Ontario today, our pickups and deliveries in the region will be impacted. We ask for your patience with our drivers.