Supply Chain & Transport

Both the Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway (CPKC) have issued the mandatory 72-hour lockout notice, meaning the national railways will halt service at 00:01 am on August 22. Understanding that a work stoppage on Canada’s Class 1 railways would have serious impacts on the feed industry and the livestock sector, ANAC has been active since the spring in requesting Government take appropriate actions to prevent a rail disruption.

Following the decision rendered by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) that rail is not an essential service, both Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway (CPKC) have expressed an intent to lockout workers at 00:01 am on August 22 if an agreement with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) is not reached.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) has determined that, because rail is not an essential service under the Canada Labour Code, CN Rail and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) do not need to maintain service in the event of a strike or lockout. 

Help ANAC tell the story of how anticipated and actual rail stoppages affect the feed industry. ANAC is requesting members to complete our Survey on Cost of a Rail Strike to the Feed Industry to gather data on the additional activities required and costs incurred by members in preparing for and during a rail stoppage.

According to CN’s recent press release, a strike or lockout is unlikely to take place before mid to late July as the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) still needs to render a decision on the designation of “essential” services in the event of a work stoppage. The CIRB has not indicated how long they will take to make a decision, and neither a strike nor a lockout can happen until then.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) workers were set to strike on June 7 but have extended the deadline for job action to June 12, if an agreement is not reached.

To best support our association’s work in responding to transportation challenges and supply chain disruptions, ANAC is establishing a new Transportation & Supply Chain Committee. Volunteers from across ANAC’s membership are invited to sit on this new committee.

With the threat of Canadian Class 1 rail services grinding to a halt due to the ongoing labour dispute between the Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway (CPKC) and their workers represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), ANAC responded to the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) invitation to make a submission requesting the maintenance of services to feed facilities.

Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) employees represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) reported that 98% of the membership responded in favour of a strike should the union feel that job action is necessary to reach an agreement. May 22 is the earliest a strike can begin and 72-hours’ notice must be given by the union.

ANAC will continue to update members on developments related to possible rail disruption.