Potential Lockout; Both CN And CPKC

Wall Street Journal reports that both roads could lock out (work stoppage originated by management) employees effective 1201A August 22.

CPKC's management could also take like action:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/canadian-r ... _permalink

https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/cana ... _permalink

I'm not certain to what extent either road's US operations will be affected.

99.9% certain the lockout shouldn't affect the US subsidiaries, although the flow of traffic back and forth across the border would definitely be impacted.

While this Journal article updating developments regarding this possible walk/lock/out does not directly address if each roads US subsidiaries will be affected, it does note that the effect is already being reflected in the US:

Fair Use:

Both Canadian railroads moved last week to begin limiting the transport of hazardous goods. Canadian National also told customers it would stop accepting all intermodal traffic—freight shipped by a combination of truck and rail—from various origins, including the Ports of New York and New Jersey, the Port of Philadelphia and inland points such as Indianapolis.

No reference to the "unlikely event" (we're not on a flight ) that CPKC Mexican operations will be affected.

"They went out", or so reports CBS Radio News during the 6A (CT) hour.

NBC News has aired a segment on "Today"; "take it away, girls":

Courtesy Microsoft Bing

NBC Chicago Local News just reported that an. njunction has been issued regarding the lockout.

Consider the source; local news

NBC National News' Lester Holt has just reported that binding arbitration has been ordered and the aggrieved employees will go back to work under the preexisting Agreement.

Confirmation:

Possible paywall:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... il-strike/

https://www.wsj.com/business/logistics/ ... _permalink

This matter is not over; at least according to the Teamsters:

CBC

The "ostensibly resolved" matter was a management initiated "lockout" i.e. "you don't want to work under these conditions, then don't come in".

This latest development appears to regard an employee initiated "walkout" i.e. "we will not work under these conditions, so we aren't coming in".

Maybe you can figure out what's going on up there, but darned if I can.

I have considered the AP to be a reliable newssource. Here is the latest report from the CBC.

It sure seems like a "who's on first" skit; appears CPKC still has their aggrieved employees locked out, but CN, who lifted the lockout on their property, are now confronted with a possible walkout come Monday.

We shall see if this action by the Canadian agency that sounds like the NLRB down here, can first get, then keep everyone working.

Fair Use:

Freight trains must start rolling again first thing Monday morning, the federal labour board ruled on Saturday as it ordered thousands of rail employees back to work to end a bitter contract dispute that shut down the country's two major railways.

The decision by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) imposes binding arbitration on the parties following an unprecedented dual work stoppage at Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) that halted freight shipments and snarled commutes across the country.

It appears this agency is empowered to impose final and binding arbitration upon the parties. No agency has such power here.

And I'm sure most of us are glad no politically appointed/motivated agency has the draconian power to impose an arbitrated contract.

Had both parties initially chosen to go to arbitration, that would be different, but they didn't.

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

Here's an article appearing. In The Journal, which establishes this Labor Board IS empowered to order aggrieved employees in any industry back to work AND impose final and binding arbitration in such a dispute:

Fair Use:

OTTAWA—Almost 10,000 Canadian rail workers will end their work stoppage after the country’s labor-relations board sided with a federal government order directing Canadian Pacific Kansas and Canadian National Railway to resume operations—and imposing binding arbitration to reach collective agreements.

Take it from one who spent three years of his eleven year railroad career in the field, there is no law, be it The Trilogy or The RLAct, empowering any agency to impose final and binding arbitration.

There are provisions within both The Trilogy and The Act to enable final and binding arbitration, but both parties must be agreeable to such.

Within The Trilogy, the Taft-Hartley (enacted by Truman) does provide for an 80 day back to work "cooling off", but if the parties still do not agree, the TH is "exhausted".

We saw during Summer '23 how all provisions of the RLA were exhausted.

In short, and I'll bet Mr. Olesen wonders same, is there really any meaningful collective bargaining in any industry "up North"?

They might have great donuts and bacon, but there are a lot of rights and simple freedoms we have here south of the 48th parallel I'm not willing to give up...

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

Mr. Olesen, when did 60 some miles of our Northern border with Canada, from Lake of the Woods, MN to Bellingham WA, get ceded to them?

49th vice 48th

Ah well. It's been a while since high school geography....