November 26, 2019 – Breaking news as a tentative deal has been reached between CN and its union this morning. With this agreement the strike will cease as of 6 am tomorrow and trains will start running again. Canaan Transport thanks our customers for their patience during this time as we look to get back on schedule.
November 25, 2019 – After a weekend with no change in the CN rail strike, pundits are now predicting a prolonged strike with only federal intervention changing the status quo. The earliest that the government can put in place back to work legislation will be Dec 5th. In the meantime, there have been some intermodal trains moving throughout the network (about 10%) but our customers are advised to contact us if their product needs to be trans loaded and trucked to avoid delays.
November 23, 2019 – We would like to update you on CN’s collective bargaining with the Teamsters Canadian Rail Conference (TCRC), which represents approximately 3,200 of CN employees working as train conductors and railyard coordinators in Canada. Negotiations continue over this weekend and the two sides are working closely with Minister of Transport Marc Garneau and now with the new Minister of Labour Filomena Tassi, to find a solution.
November 22, 2019 – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new cabinet could find itself moving faster than anticipated to deal with anger in the West over challenging economic conditions, in the face of a rail strike that a growing number of industry leaders say could trigger layoffs and closures and cost millions. The Liberals are being urged to step in with legislation to end the strike by roughly 3,200 Canadian National Railway Co. workers, which began early Tuesday after the workers and CN failed to reach a deal.
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.