Canadian railways could soon be in for a major service disruption, as the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference has issued a strike order effective Friday, February 13 at midnight.
The Teamsters delivered the strike notice to the Canadian Pacific Railway on Tuesday.
Negotiations between the union and the railway continue, but Teamsters president Doug Finnson has indicated that headway has not been made on critical issues, such as working conditions.
CP is also facing a strike threat from Unifor, a union that represents over 1,600 safety inspectors, brake testers and some repair and maintenance personnel. Unifor has yet to issue a strike notice but will be in a legal strike position as of Sunday, February 15.
A strike could have far-reaching effects on rail transportation in Canada. A nine-day labor stoppage in 2012 caused a large backlog of containers containing grain and other commodities.
Livingston is monitoring the situation and will post updates as they become available. We recommend you follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on the latest.