Talks with the Teamsters Union and two major railways, Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), are deadlocked, and companies are concerned that supply chains will be logjammed.
Hopes for a quick resolution were further dampened when labour minister Steven MacKinnon rejected a request from CN to impose binding arbitration on the talks before the contract deadline. MacKinnon told the media he expects both sides to negotiate in good faith. CN could lock out its employees as early as Aug. 22.
