Ottawa Urging Rail Companies, Union to Work Harder to Prevent Strike

The federal government is calling on the nation’s two leading railway companies and the Teamsters union to step up their efforts to prevent a historic strike with the potential to paralyze Canada’s economy. The Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. (CPCK) both face the potential for a work stoppage Aug. 22 if they fail to negotiate agreements with the thousands of employees represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC). Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon is urging both sides to intensify their efforts to finalize an agreement to keep the collective workforce of 9,300 railway workers on the job....