CALGARY — While Canadian Pacific workers in Canada have authorized a strike that could have begun as soon as tonight, their union has yet to provide the 72-hour notice necessary before walking out.
Canadian agriculture and industry remain concerned about the potential impact of a walkout, and the railroad says on its website that a strike “will impact virtually all commodities within the Canadian supply chain, thereby crippling the performance of Canada’s trade-dependent economy.”
The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference said earlier this month that 96% of its members had voted to authorize a strike, and at the time said union members should be prepared for a walkout as soon as 12:01 a.m. on March 16 [see “Teamsters Canada vote approves strike …,” Trains News Wire, March 3, 2022]. The union represents more than 3,000 CP engineers, conductors, crew members and yard personnel.
The union had requested mediation in December and filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the Canadian Industrial Relations Board in January. Mediation is ongoing, the website Western Producer reports.
The last three negotiations with the Teamsters have resulted in work stoppages, most recently in 2018, when an agreement was reached hours after the walkout began. CP says it has not had a strike involving any other union since 2011.
The Canadian Press reports that Fertilizer Canada, a trade group representing manufacturers and wholesale and retail distributors of fertilizer, says a strike could be “crippling” during farmers’ spring seeding season. Some 75% of fertilizer used by Canadian farmers is shipped by rail, and no transportation option has the capacity or can pick up the rail share on short notice.
The world’s largest fertilizer firm, Nutrien, previously asked the Canadian government to take action to prevent a strike [see “Fertilizer firm asks Canadian government to block rail strike,” News Wire, March 4, 2022].
Cattle producers are also saying they face a feed shortage as a result of a drought that led to reduced crop yields last summer, and have been relying on CP for shipments of corn from the U.S.
The president of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters association says 90% of its members have experienced supply-chain issues over the last 12 months and cannot afford another interruption.
Even U.S. legislators are asking the Canadian government to act. In a letter today to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) has asked Trudeau and his cabinet to block the strike, citing both the fertilizer issue and CP’s business moving crude oil from Alberta to U.S. refineries. “Shutting down North America’s essential rail supply chain would create a capacity crisis … that will have a profound impact on our nation’s agriculture and energy industries.”
The letter was cosigned by Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), and John Hoeven (R-N.D.)
— Updates and corrects to note strike cannot begin tonight; additional details added at 11:55 a.m. CDT.
