Having voted down two negotiated deals in the past six months, unionized conductors, trainmen and yardmen with Canadian National Railway (CN) have agreed to go to binding arbitration with the company if need be. CN on Saturday said the workers have agreed to a “last chance” offer to enter negotiations for a contract settlement, “on […] Read more
CN, conductors agree to talks, possible arbitration
CN conductors again reject tentative labour deal
Canadian National Railway (CN) wants binding arbitration after its unionized conductors and yardmen narrowly voted to reject a second tentative labour agreement. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), representing about 3,000 CN conductors, trainpersons, yardpersons and traffic co-ordinators working in Canada, reported Thursday its members had voted down the deal, reached Feb. 5, by a […] Read more
Vancouver truckers to be ordered back to work
The British Columbia government is set to legislate unionized container truckers serving Port Metro Vancouver back into the cab. The province said Wednesday it would introduce back-to-work legislation as early as Monday (March 24), with a 90-day cooling-off period, for 250 truckers represented by Unifor-Vancouver Container Truckers Association. The work stoppage at the port involves […] Read more
CN CEO sees grain backlog extending into 2015
Toronto | Reuters — A record-shattering Canadian harvest, combined with one of the most frigid winters in decades, has created a grain-handling backlog that will not be cleared until next year, the head of Canadian National Railway (CN) said Wednesday. “It will take more than the summer, continue into fall, into next year,” Claude Mongeau, […] Read more
Heavy ice to keep eastbound grain landlocked for now
Even under federal government pressure to get more Prairie grain moving by rail to Vancouver and Thunder Bay, crops that make it to the latter port aren’t going anywhere this week, shipowners warn. The Canadian Shipowners Association, the Ottawa-based group for Canadian companies with domestically-flagged vessels, warned in a release Tuesday the Great Lakes and […] Read more
Railways report progress on easing grain logjam
Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian grain shipments by rail have picked up since earlier this month when Ottawa ordered Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway (CN, CP) to improve service, CN and a grain-handling group said Tuesday. Transportation bottlenecks have left crops landlocked after a record-smashing harvest and frigid winter in Canada, the world’s […] Read more
Truckers’ strike at Vancouver continues
Vancouver | Reuters –– A two-and-a-half week container truck driver strike at Port Metro Vancouver was set to continue Monday after a government and port authority plan to end the job action at Canada’s largest port failed to make headway on the weekend. The 14-point plan, revealed late Thursday by the federal and B.C. governments […] Read more
Governments, Vancouver port propose measures to restart trucking
A package of measures drafted late Thursday by federal, provincial and port officials to end the trucking dispute at Port Metro Vancouver awaits a response from container truckers who’ve been off the job for up to two weeks. A 14-point “action plan” has been collectively agreed upon to restart “normal” marine container operations at Canada’s […] Read more
Manitoba moves to find space for ‘at-risk’ grain
A grain bin listing service and “flexibility” in spring load limits on provincial roads are among the moves Manitoba plans to pursue to get “at-risk” grain out of harm’s way in view of the current grain freight backlog. The province on Wednesday announced it will launch a review of flood-prone areas to help farmers move […] Read more
Harper criticizes shipment delays in Vancouver labour dispute
Ottawa | Reuters –– Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Wednesday it was unacceptable for striking truck drivers to delay shipments at Canada’s largest port in Vancouver, but noted that it was up to the provincial government to deal with the conflict. The labour dispute at the port, a gateway to fast-growing Asian markets, escalated this […] Read more
