Two months after the Canadian Industrial Relations Board’s (CIRB) order imposing binding arbitration between CN and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), CN is reporting that both parties have recently agreed on an arbitrator to determine the terms of the next collective agreement. A decision is expected before the end of second-quarter 2025.
According to CN, mediation meetings will occur over seven days in March 2025. “If a mediated settlement is not reached during those seven days, arbitration will be scheduled to take place in April,” the railroad said on Oct. 23. “As per the protocol negotiated between the parties, the arbitrator will have 60 days to rule. In view of the foregoing, a decision is expected before the end of the second quarter.”
The CIRB has also directed that the current collective agreement remains in place until there is a new agreement, CN said, which means that no strike or lockout can occur.
What happened? CN and CPKC have been in separate negotiations at intervals with the TCRC in Canada to renew contracts that expired Dec. 31, 2023. Even with assistance of federal conciliators, the parties have not been able to agree on wages and work/rest provisions. TCRC represents approximately 10,000 engineers and conductors combined at the railroads.
When the parties’ cooling off period expired just after midnight on Aug. 22 with no agreements or binding arbitration in place, the lockout began. But it was short-lived. CN at 6 p.m. ET initiated its recovery plan, and CPKC at 6:22 p.m. ET announced that preparations were under way to restart service in Canada. Why? Minister of Labor Steven MacKinnon at 5 p.m. ET on Aug. 22 invoked Article 107 of Canada’s federal labor code and ordered the CIRB “to assist the parties in settling the outstanding terms of their collective agreements, including by imposing final binding arbitration.” Additionally, he directed the Board “to extend the term of the current collective agreements until new agreements have been signed and for operations on both railways to resume forthwith.” The Board did so on Aug. 23.
