About 3,200 Canadian National Railway CNI employees went on strike just after midnight, as ongoing talks between the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters and the company failed to yield an agreement.
The strike of conductors, transpersons and yard workers began at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 19, 72 hours after the Teamsters served noticed to CN.
"Unfortunately, we were unable to reach a deal with CN. The company remains unwilling to address our members' health and safety issues. As a result, CTY members at CN will be on strike," the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference wrote in an update to members.
CN has yet to comment publicly on the strike since it began. Earlier, Chief Operating Officer Rob Reilly said, "If a settlement cannot be reached this weekend, we will once again encourage the union leadership to accept binding arbitration as an alternative to disrupting the Canadian economy."
Federally mediated contract negotiations are continuing as the labor action begins to ripple through CN's network, the largest in Canada.
Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau and Labor Minister Patty Hajdu met with CN and union officials on Nov. 18 in an effort to avert the strike.
The CN workers have been without a contract since July. Disagreements include working conditions and benefits.
The strike followed an announcement by CN that it planned to cut jobs in response to worsening economic conditions.
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
