Canada: Government intervenes to end nationwide rail worker lockout Aug. 22 /update 2

On Aug. 22, the Canadian government intervened in an effort to bring an end to an ongoing labor dispute that had brought trains operated by the country's two largest freight carriers, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) and Canadian National Railway (CN), to a standstill. The government in Ottawa ordered the two companies to end their lockout of workers represented by Teamsters Canada and that the current collective agreement be extended until both parties reach a new agreement under binding arbitration; the lockout occurred at 00:01 when labor and management failed to reach an accord resolving their dispute by a deadline set by the union for launching a strike.

Although authorities have instructed all employees to return to work, it remains unclear when rail services will resume. It could take several days for freight and passenger operations to return to normal as CN and CPKC reposition rolling stock and clear their transport backlogs. Cross-border trade between the US and Canada will likely experience lingering disruptions.