Canadian National Railway Conductors Set Tuesday Strike Deadline

By Kim Mackrael

OTTAWA -- The union representing Canadian National Railway Co. conductors says its members will go on strike early Tuesday if they haven't reached a deal by then for a new collective agreement.

Teamsters Canada Rail Conference said more than 3,000 conductors, yard workers and other train workers plan to begin their strike on Tuesday at 12:01am EST. The workers' previous collective agreement with the company expired in July, the union said.

Canadian National said that it continues to negotiate in good faith and that is had offered to enter into binding arbitration with the union. It said the union had declined the offer of binding arbitration.

"We remain committed to constructive talks to reach an agreement without a work stoppage," Canadian National Chief Operating Officer Rob Reilly said.

The union said its biggest concerns relate to rail safety, including worker fatigue, and prescription drug benefits. It said wages were not a major sticking point in the negotiations.

"The union hopes to reach a negotiated settlement that its members can ratify, and to move forward without a service disruption," it said.

Canadian National is Canada's largest railroad operator and transports more than 250 billion Canadian dollars ($189 billion) of goods annually, according to the company.

Write to Kim Mackrael at kim.mackrael@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 17, 2019 10:22 ET (15:22 GMT)

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