A freight train at Manchac, La., about 75 km east of Baton Rouge. (CN.ca)

U.S. rail embargoes may stymie some Canadian rail traffic

CN halts most cross-border traffic; CP also monitoring situation

Mindful of the potential for snarls on their own tracks, Canada’s big two railways are monitoring talks between a clutch of major U.S. railways and several of their labour unions to avert strikes and/or lockouts that may begin as early as Friday. As of Wednesday, three unions out of the 12 representing unionized rail workers […] Read more

File photo of a BNSF grain train in Montana. (Photo courtesy BNSF Railway)

U.S. railways to halt grain shipments ahead of potential shutdown

Fall fertilizer traffic also at risk

Chicago | Reuters — Some U.S. railroads will start halting crop shipments on Thursday, a day ahead of a potential work stoppage, an agricultural association and sources at two grain co-operatives said on Tuesday, threatening exports and feed deliveries for livestock. With farmers starting to harvest autumn crops that are shipped to meat and biofuels […] Read more

File photo of a BNSF grain train crossing the Gassman Coulee trestle near Minot, North Dakota. (Photo courtesy BNSF Railway)

U.S. government makes contingency plans for rail shutdown

Three unions represent about 60,000 rail workers

Washington/Los Angeles | Reuters — U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday made contingency plans aiming to ensure deliveries of critical goods in the event of a shutdown of the U.S. rail system while pressing railroads and unions to reach a deal to avoid a work stoppage affecting freight and passenger service. The potential shutdown, […] Read more

(AgropurSolutions.ca)

Agropur cheese plant workers take deal, halt strike

Milk not taken at Granby, Que. plant for over five weeks

Milk delivery to a major cheese plant in Eastern Canada is expected to resume soon as unionized employees at dairy co-operative Agropur’s facility at Granby, Que. end a five-and-a-half-week strike. The plant’s 250-odd workers, represented by the Syndicat des salaries de la fromagerie — an arm of Centrale des syndicats democratiques (CSD) — have voted […] Read more

Signage outside an IBEW office in Winnipeg. (File photo by Dave Bedard)

CN signals staff to return to work Wednesday

IBEW, railway to go to binding arbitration

Signals and communications workers at Canadian National Railway (CN) are set to end their 17-day strike and return to work Wednesday morning. CN, in a statement Monday, said the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) System Council 11, which represents about 750 of the company’s employees across the country, had agreed to take its labour […] Read more


File photo of a CN locomotive. (Dave Bedard photo)

CN service continues as signals staff strike

Talks continue after IBEW-represented employees stopped work Saturday

Canadian National Railway is reporting “normal” rail operations after its signals and communications workers walked out on strike starting Saturday. Members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), which represents about 750 CN employees across Canada, served the railway with strike notice last Wednesday and started their strike Saturday morning, the company said. IBEW […] Read more

Screengrab from a CNH promotional video of its Magnum tractor assembly plant at Racine, Wisconsin. (CNH video)

Workers on strike at two U.S. CNH plants

Production of Magnum tractors, combine headers affected

Workers at two CNH Industrial manufacturing plants in the U.S. Midwest have hit the picket line after their previous contract expired without an agreed-upon replacement. United Auto Workers, whose locals 180 and 807 represent over 1,000 employees at CNH’s plants at Racine, Wisconsin and Burlington, Iowa respectively, said Monday the workers went on strike that […] Read more