The fertilizer industry in late February was awaiting the results of a strike vote called by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) against Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway Ltd. The vote is among more than 3,000 locomotive engineers, conductors, and train and yard workers employed by CP. At issue are disputes over wages, benefits, and pensions, according to a Feb. 10 statement from TCRC.
Citing the timing of the vote, industry sources warned of a potentially significant impact to rail shipments of fertilizer, should the strike proceed on the cusp of the spring planting season. Representatives from TCRC and CP are currently meeting with a conciliator/mediator appointed by Minister of Labor Seamus O’Regan Jr.
According to Canada’s Labor Code, a legal work stoppage can only take place 21 days after the conciliation process is complete.
In response to the TCRC action, CP said in a statement that it “has negotiated in good faith with the TCRC since last September, and those labor negotiations are continuing. CP has an excellent track record of successful collective bargaining with our unions, and is seeking a new agreement with TCRC to create labor stability that is essential for Canada’s economic recovery from the pandemic and supply chain challenges.”
If the walkout proceeds, it will be the fourth time in 10 years that CP employees have found themselves in a strike position. The last occurred in May 2018 (GM April 20, 2018) and involved 3,300 CP employees, including conductors and electrical workers represented by TCRC and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. That strike ended within days and caused few supply chain disruptions.
A CP strike in May 2012 (GM May 28, 2012), however, caused widespread shipping disruptions and prompted numerous complaints from trade associations and affected industries, including Fertilizer Canada, known then as the Canadian Fertilizer Institute. Back-to-work legislation was eventually approved to end that walkout (GM June 4, 2012).
TCRC went on strike against CP again in February 2015 (GM Feb. 17, 2015), but union members returned to work just three days later after the Canadian government indicated it would act quickly to introduce back-to-work legislation to end the strike.
The Teamsters Union represents 125,000 members in Canada, 16,000 of whom work in rail transportation. They are affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which has 1.4 million members in North America.