Late on Thursday, Aug. 22, the Canadian Labour Minister announced the government had intervened in the labor dispute between the two major freight railroads and a Teamsters union, which effectively ends the lockout after less than one day. The government has asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to impose binding arbitration in the labor negotiations.
The two Canadian railroad companies, Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) had locked out 9,000 workers earlier on Thursday, following a breakdown in labor negotiations.
As of Friday, Aug 23, workers at CN have began returning to work, while the CIRB is met with the leaders of CPKC and the union before determining whether to issue a back-to-work order. The Canadian government anticipates the full resumption of operations in the next several days, though it is expected that ripple effects of the shutdown will continue for several more weeks.
Since Canada is the largest export market for U.S. recycled materials by value, a long-term rail shutdown would have significantly disrupted manufacturing supply chains, so the intervention by the Canadian government is good news for U.S. recyclers.
If you have any questions, please contact ReMA staff:
Adam Shaffer – AVP of International Trade and Global Affairs – 202-662-8532 or ashaffer@recycledmaterials.org
Billy Johnson – Chief Lobbyist – 202-662-8548 or bjohnson@recycledmaterials.org
Kristen Hildreth – AVP of Government Relations and Strategic Partnerships – 202-662-8513 or khildreth@recycledmaterials.org
