Service update: Railways to Resume Service Monday August 26th
26 August 2024On Saturday August 24th, the Canadian Industrial Labour Board (CIRB) had issued its decision that both rail lines at CPKC and CN and Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) employees are to resume operations and return to work on Monday August 26th.
What does this mean for you?
During the work stoppage, we promptly activated our contingency plan by securing road transportation or continuing to pick up freight and load containers, preparing for when the railways reopened. Today, we are pleased to announce that operations with CPKC have resumed, and freight movement has resumed.
Please contact your sales representative or our customer service teams at your respective branch for more information.
We will continue to keep you informed and updated as we receive more information.
Below is the official CPKC bulletin that was released on Saturday August 24th.
August 24 – TCRC Bargaining Update
CPKC moves to restart rail operations following CIRB order
CPKC today said it will restart railway operations in Canada by 00:01 ET on Monday, Aug. 26, following the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) order requiring CPKC to resume operations and Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) employees to resume their duties.
CPKC will fully comply with the CIRB order. As such, CPKC is ending the lockout initiated on Thursday, Aug. 22. CPKC has asked the TCRC for employees to return to work for the day shift on Sunday so that we can get the Canadian economy moving again as quickly as possible and avoid further disruption to supply chains.
Our team is executing its restart plan for the safe and orderly resumption of rail service across Canada. We are working with customers on a balanced return to normal operations.
The CIRB will be convening a case management meeting with the parties Thursday, Aug. 29, to discuss the imposition of final binding interest arbitration.
As specified in the CIRB’s order, the existing collective agreements between the company and the union are in force.
The CIRB’s order was issued following the Canadian Minister of Labour’s direction on Thursday, Aug. 22, pursuant to his authority under Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code.
CPKC looks forward to welcoming all of our Canadian locomotive engineers, conductors, yard persons and dispatchers back to work. We are focused on restoring our railway to full strength as we get back to serving our customers and moving Canada’s trade and commerce throughout North America.
The CIRB order ends months of unnecessary uncertainty and disruption for the Canadian economy and North American supply chains. We anticipate it will take several weeks for the railway network to fully recover from this work stoppage and a period of time beyond that for supply chains to stabilize.
