• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • SCB YouTube
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Express/Small Shipments
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Supply Chains in Crisis
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Robotics
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • THINK TANK
  • WEBINARS
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Webinar Library
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WHITEPAPERS
Home » Canadian Pacific Rail Halts Operations After Labor Talks Fail

Canadian Pacific Rail Halts Operations After Labor Talks Fail

CP Rail
A Canadian Pacific Railway train leaves Hardisty, Alberta, Canada. Photo: Bloomberg.
March 20, 2022
Bloomberg

One of Canada’s largest railways is winding down operations after failing to reach a labor deal with unionized workers.

Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. entered a work stoppage early Sunday after the company and the union’s leadership were unable to negotiate a settlement or agree to binding arbitration, Canada’s Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan said in a statement posted to Twitter shortly after midnight.

Update: The work stoppage has begun, but CP and Teamsters are still at the table with federal mediators. Parties are working through the night. We are monitoring the situation closely and expect the parties to keep working until they reach an agreement.

— Seamus O'Regan Jr (@SeamusORegan) March 20, 2022

“The work stoppage has begun, but CP and Teamsters are still at the table with federal mediators,” O’Regan said. “Parties are working through the night. We are monitoring the situation closely and expect the parties to keep working until they reach an agreement.”

The stoppage means CP can’t operate the railway and will create a “freight capacity crisis,” the railway said earlier this month in a note to its customers.

The disruptions threaten to further roil supply chains and exacerbate volatility in fertilizer markets at a time when farmers are already having trouble getting key nutrients for crops for spring plantings. Crop-nutrient prices have skyrocketed, fueled by a global shortfall and worries that potential sanctions on Russia could disrupt global trade. Canada, along with Russia and Belarus, is a major supplier of the world’s potash, a mined material used in fertilizers. 

CP is the primary rail transportation provider for the delivery of Saskatchewan potash to overseas markets, according to the provincial government.

About 3,000 of CP’s locomotive engineers and conductors voted earlier in the month in favor of going on strike if a collective bargaining agreement isn’t reached. The union is pushing for improved wages, benefits and pensions, and has said it’s willing to remain at the bargaining table beyond the March 20 lockout deadline. 

The lockout move comes after Nutrien Ltd., one of the top crop-nutrient suppliers, and Saskatchewan’s government asked Canada’s federal government to act swiftly to stop a strike. Nutrien’s interim Chief Executive Officer Ken Seitz expressed frustration in an interview Thursday. The company also said it’s hopeful that the situation will be resolved quickly to avoid further price hikes in fertilizer, which has touched record highs multiple times this year. 

Update: The work stoppage has begun, but CP and Teamsters are still at the table with federal mediators. Parties are working through the night. We are monitoring the situation closely and expect the parties to keep working until they reach an agreement.

— Seamus O'Regan Jr (@SeamusORegan) March 20, 2022

The leaders of Canada’s three prairie provinces also called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Friday to ensure CP resumes service “as quickly as possible” in the event of delayed rail service. 

“After a never-ending pandemic, exploding commodity prices and the war in Ukraine, this lockout adds an unnecessary layer of insecurity for many Canadians,” Teamsters Canada Rail Conference President Lyndon Isaak said Friday in a statement. “CP’s irresponsibility with regards to the continuity of Canada’s supply chain should be taken to task.”

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED VIDEOS

Logistics Rail & Intermodal Transportation & Distribution HR & Labor Management Supply Chain Security & Risk Mgmt Food & Beverage
  • Related Articles

    Canadian Pacific Wins Buyout War for K.C. Southern, Defeating CN

    Canadian National Workers Strike After Failed Negotiations

    CN Rail Strike Squeezes Transport of Canadian Oil, Grain Cargo

Bloomberg

Volvo May Move Investments to U.S. If Europe’s Green-Tech Push Falls Short

More from this author

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter!

Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

Popular Stories

  • A HAND TURNS A LARGE, LIGHTED DIAL WITH THE WORD RISK ON IT iStock-NicoElNino-1364371014.jpg

    Measuring KPIs and KRIs for Comprehensive Supplier Performance Management

    Technology
  • A COMPLEX SERIES OF ROADWAYS AND RAMPS, SEEN FROM HIGH ABOVE, IS PARTLY SHROUDED BY CLOUD

    Supply Chain Visibility Isn’t Just a Catchphrase; It’s an Imperative

    Logistics
  • A WOMAN IN HER LIVING ROOM GESTURES IN DISMAY ON THE PHONE OVER AN OPEN SHIPPING BOX

    Retailers – Quit Bellyaching and Differentiate Yourself on Returns

    Reverse Logistics
  • A TRUCK LEAVES A PORT DOCK LOADED WITH A CONTAINER

    C.H. Robinson Digs in Against Activist Investor Ancora

    Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
  • A CONTAINER SHIP PLIES A SILVERY OCEAN

    CVC Nears Deal to Acquire Logistics Firm Scan Global

    Logistics

Digital Edition

Scb q1 2023 cover

2023 Supply Chain Management Resource Guide: Packing for a Difficult Year

VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

Case Studies

  • New Revenue for Cloud-Based TMS that Embeds Orderful’s Modern EDI Platform

  • Convenience Store Client Maximizes Profit and Improves Customer Service

  • A Digitally Native Footwear Brand Finds Rapid Fulfillment

  • Expanding Apparel Brand Scales Seamlessly with E-Commerce Technology

  • How a Global LSP Scaled its Security Program and Won More Business

Visit Our Sponsors

Orderful Yang Ming Alithya
Barcoding Blue Yonder BNSF Logistics
CoEnterprise Data Capture Deposco
E2open GAINSystems Generix
Geodis GEP GreyOrange
Here Honeywell Intelligrated IFM
Infor Inmar Keelvar
Kinaxis Korber Lean Solutions Group 2H
Liberty SBF Locus Robotics Logility
LogistiVIEW Lucas Systems MCA Connect
MPO Nvidia Old Dominion
OpenText ORTEC Overhaul
Parsyl PMMI QIMA
Redwood Logistics Ryder E-commerce by Whiplash Saddle Creek Logistics
Schneider Dedicated Setlog Holding AG Ship4WD
Shipwell Tecsys TGW Systems
Thomson Reuters Tive Trailer Bridge
Vecna Robotics Verity
Verusen
  • More From SCB
    • Featured Content
    • Video Library
    • Think Tank Blog
    • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
    • Whitepapers
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
  • Digital Offerings
    • Digital Issue
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Your Subscription
    • Newsletters
  • Resources
    • Events Calendar
    • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
    • Supplier Directory
    • Case Study Showcase
    • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
    • 100 Great Partners Form
  • SCB Corporate
    • Advertise on SCB.COM
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • Data Sharing Opt-Out

All content copyright ©2023 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing