Tensions between the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) union and railways Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) are ramping up after the Dec. 31, 2023 expiration of three major collective agreements.

About 9,300 workers at the railways are covered by the agreements.

“CN and CPKC aim to eliminate all safety-critical rest provisions from our collective agreements. These provisions are necessary to combat crew fatigue and ensure public safety. We want to reach a negotiated settlement, but their demands are non-starters for the Teamsters. Safety is non-negotiable,” national president of Teamsters Canada, François Laporte, said in a release.

“Canadian railroads don’t care about supply chains, farmers, or small businesses. They care about their bottom line, and squeezing everything they can out of their employees. If they need to manufacture a work stoppage to get there, they won’t think twice,” added the president of the TCRC, Paul Boucher.

Negotiations have come to a standstill and CN and CPKC have filed notice of disputes with the federal government, requesting government mediators be appointed. Teamsters points out the notice of dispute starts the legal countdown to a possible strike or lockout, which could come as soon as 81 days after government mediators are appointed. This could lead to a labor disruption as early as May.