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Canada’s second-biggest railroad operator notified the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference on Wednesday that it will lock out 3,000 engineers, conductors and yard workers early on Sunday, barring a breakthrough in talks on a deal covering pensions, pay and benefits.
“The negotiations are difficult and the parties are far apart,” Teamsters Canada said in a statement, adding discussions were resuming in Calgary late on Friday afternoon between the union and the company in the presence of a mediator.
Canadian Pacific did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
The company says the main issue is the union’s demand for higher pension caps, while the Teamsters also flag concerns about pay and benefits.
The last major railway labor disruption was an eight-day Canadian National Railway (TSX:CNR) Co strike in 2019. But in the past 12 years, there have been 12 stoppages due to poor weather, blockades or labor issues, according to the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association.
