Grain shippers and Fertilizer Canada are calling on Canadian National Railway Co, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), and the Government of Canada to work together to ensure a rail strike does not occur.On Friday, Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. warned they will lock out employees on Aug. 22 unless they can reach deals with employees represented by the Teamsters. The union has turned down offers of binding arbitration from both railways.The Teamsters represent 9,300 engineers, conductors, yard workers and rail traffic controllers and claim that CPKC wants to “gut the collective agreement of all safety-critical fatigue provisions.”“From the very beginning, railworkers have only ever sought a fair and equitable agreement. Unfortunately, both rail companies are demanding concessions that could tear families apart or jeopardize rail safety,” said Teamsters president Paul Boucher in a statement Friday.The strike would have happened in May, except for a decision by the Minister of Labour to send the matter to the Canadian Industrial Relations Board. In anticipation of a May strike, grain exporters slowed down sales and warned customers of the upcoming disruption, which had a cost and reputational impact. Now, the grain industry is facing a second disruption in rail service for the same dispute.On Monday, CN and CPKC issued embargoes immediately halting certain fertilizer shipments ten days ahead of an anticipated labour disruption. In a press release, Fertilizer Canada warned a work stoppage that prevents the transportation of fertilizer will have potentially disastrous effects on crop yields and food security."The long-lasting and cascading impacts of labour disruptions are felt before and after the stoppage even takes place," says Karen Proud, President and CEO of Fertilizer Canada. "We have had the threat of a work stoppage hanging over our heads since the beginning of the year. Farmers around the world rely on Canada's fertilizer industry to maximize crop yields, and the fertilizer industry relies on rail to get our products to market."Fertilizer Canada is calling on the federal government and Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to take immediate action to assist all parties and to order a directive for binding arbitration that prohibits TCRC from undertaking strike action and CN and CPKC from lockout action.Fertilizer Canada, who represents producers, manufacturers, wholesale and retail distributors of nitrogen, phosphate, potash and sulphur fertilizers, also wants the federal government to recognize fertilizer as an essential good, critical to domestic and global food security, so it continues to move during work stoppages.Wade Sobkowich, Executive Director of the Western Grain Elevators Association, said the potential rail disruptions come at "the worst possible time" for the grain sector, right before harvest.“[B]oth CN and CPKC will shut down at the same time, stopping virtually all of Canada’s domestic and export grain flow," Sobkowich said. He added Canada must find a permanent solution to supply chain disruptions within its control, such as railway work stoppages.Grain elevators situated on either CN or CPKC lines are each beholden to a monopoly service provider and do not have any competitive options in shipping grain to flour mills, grain processing facilities and feedlots both domestically and internationally. Rail service is essential to get grain off the Prairies to customers and ports across North America and globally.“The TCRC, CN, CPKC and the federal government need to recognize that their action or inaction will have serious consequences. The impacts will be felt mostly by Canadian consumers at the grocery store, both in terms of price and supply,” added Sobkowich. “The world needs Canada’s grain now more than ever, and it is unconscionable that anyone would leverage the current domestic and global circumstances to benefit their individual interests.” The WGEA is imploring the parties to complete the negotiations in good faith or submit to binding arbitration for a fair and reasonable resolution.The WGEA is an association of grain businesses operating in Canada which collectively handle in excess of 95% of western Canada’s bulk grain movements. Its members account for roughly one-fifth of bulk railway revenue in Canada and pay annual total freight of over $1 billion..This is what the Western Standard is up againstThe Trudeau government is funding lies and propaganda by directly subsidizing the mainstream media. They do this to entrench the powerful Eastern, woke and corrupt interests that dominate the political, social and economic institutions in Canada. Federal authorities are constantly trying to censor us and stop us from publishing the stories that they don’t want you to read. Ottawa may weaponize our taxes and police against us, but we’ve got a powerful ally on our side.You. Free men, and free women. We need you to stand with us and become a member of the Western Standard. Here’s what you will get for your membership:Unlimited access to all articles from the Western Standard, Alberta Report, West Coast Standard, and Saskatchewan Standard, with no paywall. Our daily newsletter delivered to your inbox. .Access to exclusive Member-only WS events.Keep the West’s leading independent media voice strong and free.If you can, please support us with a monthly or annual membership. It takes just a moment to set up, and you will be making a big impact on keeping one the last independent media outlets in Canada free from Ottawa’s corrupting influence.
Grain shippers and Fertilizer Canada are calling on Canadian National Railway Co, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), and the Government of Canada to work together to ensure a rail strike does not occur.On Friday, Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. warned they will lock out employees on Aug. 22 unless they can reach deals with employees represented by the Teamsters. The union has turned down offers of binding arbitration from both railways.The Teamsters represent 9,300 engineers, conductors, yard workers and rail traffic controllers and claim that CPKC wants to “gut the collective agreement of all safety-critical fatigue provisions.”“From the very beginning, railworkers have only ever sought a fair and equitable agreement. Unfortunately, both rail companies are demanding concessions that could tear families apart or jeopardize rail safety,” said Teamsters president Paul Boucher in a statement Friday.The strike would have happened in May, except for a decision by the Minister of Labour to send the matter to the Canadian Industrial Relations Board. In anticipation of a May strike, grain exporters slowed down sales and warned customers of the upcoming disruption, which had a cost and reputational impact. Now, the grain industry is facing a second disruption in rail service for the same dispute.On Monday, CN and CPKC issued embargoes immediately halting certain fertilizer shipments ten days ahead of an anticipated labour disruption. In a press release, Fertilizer Canada warned a work stoppage that prevents the transportation of fertilizer will have potentially disastrous effects on crop yields and food security."The long-lasting and cascading impacts of labour disruptions are felt before and after the stoppage even takes place," says Karen Proud, President and CEO of Fertilizer Canada. "We have had the threat of a work stoppage hanging over our heads since the beginning of the year. Farmers around the world rely on Canada's fertilizer industry to maximize crop yields, and the fertilizer industry relies on rail to get our products to market."Fertilizer Canada is calling on the federal government and Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to take immediate action to assist all parties and to order a directive for binding arbitration that prohibits TCRC from undertaking strike action and CN and CPKC from lockout action.Fertilizer Canada, who represents producers, manufacturers, wholesale and retail distributors of nitrogen, phosphate, potash and sulphur fertilizers, also wants the federal government to recognize fertilizer as an essential good, critical to domestic and global food security, so it continues to move during work stoppages.Wade Sobkowich, Executive Director of the Western Grain Elevators Association, said the potential rail disruptions come at "the worst possible time" for the grain sector, right before harvest.“[B]oth CN and CPKC will shut down at the same time, stopping virtually all of Canada’s domestic and export grain flow," Sobkowich said. He added Canada must find a permanent solution to supply chain disruptions within its control, such as railway work stoppages.Grain elevators situated on either CN or CPKC lines are each beholden to a monopoly service provider and do not have any competitive options in shipping grain to flour mills, grain processing facilities and feedlots both domestically and internationally. Rail service is essential to get grain off the Prairies to customers and ports across North America and globally.“The TCRC, CN, CPKC and the federal government need to recognize that their action or inaction will have serious consequences. The impacts will be felt mostly by Canadian consumers at the grocery store, both in terms of price and supply,” added Sobkowich. “The world needs Canada’s grain now more than ever, and it is unconscionable that anyone would leverage the current domestic and global circumstances to benefit their individual interests.” The WGEA is imploring the parties to complete the negotiations in good faith or submit to binding arbitration for a fair and reasonable resolution.The WGEA is an association of grain businesses operating in Canada which collectively handle in excess of 95% of western Canada’s bulk grain movements. Its members account for roughly one-fifth of bulk railway revenue in Canada and pay annual total freight of over $1 billion..This is what the Western Standard is up againstThe Trudeau government is funding lies and propaganda by directly subsidizing the mainstream media. They do this to entrench the powerful Eastern, woke and corrupt interests that dominate the political, social and economic institutions in Canada. Federal authorities are constantly trying to censor us and stop us from publishing the stories that they don’t want you to read. Ottawa may weaponize our taxes and police against us, but we’ve got a powerful ally on our side.You. Free men, and free women. We need you to stand with us and become a member of the Western Standard. Here’s what you will get for your membership:Unlimited access to all articles from the Western Standard, Alberta Report, West Coast Standard, and Saskatchewan Standard, with no paywall. Our daily newsletter delivered to your inbox. .Access to exclusive Member-only WS events.Keep the West’s leading independent media voice strong and free.If you can, please support us with a monthly or annual membership. It takes just a moment to set up, and you will be making a big impact on keeping one the last independent media outlets in Canada free from Ottawa’s corrupting influence.
