Bulk grain traffic through the Port of Montreal isn’t expected to be affected by a longshoremen’s strike that began Monday morning, but eastbound containerized crops may be among the traffic put on hold. CUPE’s Syndicat des debardeurs Local 375, which represents about 1,150 longshoremen and longshorewomen at the port, served notice Friday that it would […] Read more
Containerized crops may get stuck in Montreal port’s strike
Longshoremen on 'indefinite' strike as of Monday morning
CN conductors approve post-strike deal
Canadian National Railway’s conductors and yard workers have voted for at least another two and a half years of labour peace with the company. The affected employees, members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, voted 91.3 per cent to ratify a three-year contract with CN, retroactive to last July 23, the union said in a […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Firm Prairie market leveling off
MarketsFarm — Logistics issues moving grain where it needs to be in Western Canada continue to prop up feed prices, but the market is starting to level off, according to a broker. “We are seeing a bit of a shortage of trucks,” said Tracy Green of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton, adding “things are still […] Read more
CN kicks off recovery after eight-day strike
Reuters –– Canadian National Railway on Thursday said it was putting a recovery plan in place while ramping up operations after the country’s biggest rail strike in a decade. The eight-day-long work stoppage at Canada’s largest railroad sent shocks through the country’s economy with grain and propane shipments scuttled. The strike by about 3,200 conductors […] Read more
Nutrien potash mine idled despite rail strike’s end
Plans by the world’s largest ag inputs provider to temporarily idle its biggest potash mine in view of the Canadian National Railway strike will proceed, even as CN goes back to work. Saskatoon-based Nutrien announced Monday it “will be forced to curtail production” at its Rocanville, Sask. mine due to the CN rail strike. The […] Read more
Grain groups seek ‘essential service’ status for rail
With Canadian National Railway’s conductors and yard workers headed back to work, several Canadian grain groups now want to head off any future job action in the rail sector. CN and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference announced separately Tuesday they had reached a tentative agreement ending an eight-day strike by over 3,000 unionized staff. The […] Read more
Worker’s plea for rest spurs breakthrough in CN strike, union says
Montreal | Reuters — As Canada’s biggest rail strike in a decade dragged on with no resolution in sight, the recorded pleas of an exhausted rail worker who wanted a break after a 10-hour shift helped deliver a critical breakthrough, a union leader told Reuters on Tuesday. The audio recording, released on Monday by Teamsters […] Read more
CN, Teamsters reach deal to end strike
Montreal | Reuters — Teamsters Canada and Canadian National Railway on Tuesday said they reached a tentative deal to end a strike at the country’s largest railroad that had entered its eighth day, disrupting supply chains across the country. “We have a deal,” a CN spokesman said. The union said normal operations will resume on […] Read more
Union says propane shortfalls may be CN’s own making
Propane shortages for grain dryers and heating fuel in the wake of a strike by Canadian National Railway (CN) conductors and yard workers appear to be “largely manufactured” by the railway, according to the union for the striking workers. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC-CTY), which represents over 3,000 CN staff in Canada who walked […] Read more
Propane shortage looms as CN strike hits third day
Winnipeg/Ottawa | Reuters — Shippers scrambled to shift freight onto trucks on Thursday as a strike at Canada’s biggest railroad, Canadian National Railway, hit its third day, leaving the critical fuel propane and other goods stranded. Some 3,200 unionized employees, including conductors and yard workers, hit picket lines on Tuesday in the biggest such action […] Read more