Paul Vieira of The Wall Street Journal reports that Teamsters Canada says it is at an impasse in contract talks with Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City railways. He writes:
The union representing over 9,000 workers at Canada’s two biggest railroads said nearly all of its members voted in favor of going on strike as early as May 22, which could cause extensive disruptions across North American logistics networks.
Teamsters Canada, which is negotiating three labor agreements at Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, said Wednesday its negotiators and company executives are at an impasse, claiming the freight carriers are trying to scale back safety provisions, such as ensuring workers have enough rest between shifts.
Paul Boucher, president of Teamsters Canada’s rail conference, said simultaneous strikes at the railroads “would disrupt supply chains on a scale Canada has luckily never experienced.” […]
CN said the agreement includes wage increases each year and improved health and dental benefits. It also includes measures to increase productivity and reduce the need to outsource work to contractors by creating new positions in the company and allowing more workers to move outside their region when needed, the company said.
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