UPDATE ON TCRC COLLECTIVE BARGAINING NEGOTIATIONS

In our ongoing communication with you, we wanted to provide the latest press release from CPKC concerning the ongoing negotiations involving CPKC, CN and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference. 

The CIRB has determined that that no services need to be maintained during a railway strike or lockout in order to protect Canadian public health and safety. They have also mandated a 13-day cooling-off period, meaning that if a settlement cannot be reached, the earliest date for a strike would be Thursday, August 22nd, 2024. We have created a contingency plan regarding your shipments and will execute that plan if necessary. 

We recommend sending any freight shipments destined for Western or Eastern Canada as soon as possible. Please plan your shipping schedules accordingly as we approach the potential strike date, there may be service disruptions and delays.

For further assistance, clarification, or alternative options, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your dedicated sales representative.

Message from CPKC

UPDATE ON TCRC COLLECTIVE BARGAINING NEGOTIATIONS

CPKC to issue TCRC lockout notice for Aug. 22

CPKC today said it will issue notice to the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) – Train and Engine (T&E) division and TCRC – Rail Traffic Controller (RCTC) division of its plan to lock out employees at 00:01 ET on Aug. 22 if union leadership and the company are unable to come to a negotiated settlement or agree to binding interest arbitration. CPKC is committed to continuing good faith negotiation throughout.

The decision to issue a lockout notice comes after the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) on Friday issued its decision determining that no services need to be maintained during a railway strike or lockout in order to protect Canadian public health and safety. The CIRB also ordered a 13-day extension of the cooling off period which ends on Aug. 22. Following the expiration of the cooling off period, a legal strike or lockout involving the TCRC – T&E or TCRC – RCTC could occur.

All stakeholders want an end to this needless uncertainty as rapidly as possible so that we can continue serving the North American economy. Stability could be restored today if the TCRC would accept CPKC’s offer to resolve the current labour dispute through binding interest arbitration.

If no resolution is reached during bargaining through the extended cooling off period, and the TCRC continues to refuse binding interest arbitration, CPKC will have no choice but to take this action. CPKC is acting to protect Canada’s supply chains, and all those who depend on them, from the more widespread disruption that would be created should a work stoppage occur during the fall peak shipping period. Delaying resolution to this dispute only makes things worse, causing more disruption and damage to Canada’s international reputation as a reliable trading partner.

CPKC provides this public notice to mitigate uncertainty and give our customers and supply chains proper time to plan for a safe and orderly shutdown of railway operations. As part of those preparations, CPKC will issue an embargo for all toxic by inhalation (TIH) dangerous goods traffic to allow this traffic to safely exit the rail network prior to a work stoppage. Other embargoes will be issued during the cooling off period, as necessary.

CPKC remains committed to doing its part to avoid a work stoppage. In response to opposition from TCRC leadership, CPKC has advised the union representing conductors and locomotive engineers that we will conditionally withdraw the offer for a new modernized, time-based collective agreement. That time-based agreement proposal was intended to address the union’s concerns related to work and time off scheduling, while allowing significant wage increases and additional customer service flexibilities. 

CPKC will focus on a status quo-style contract renewal covering three years with competitive wage increases that are consistent with recent settlements with other railway unions and maintains the status quo for all work rules. The status quo-style offer fully complies with new regulatory requirements for rest and does not in any way compromise safety. 

For the TCRC – RCTC division, CPKC has also proposed a renewed agreement with the rail traffic controllers which would deliver competitive wage increases