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Because United Transportation Union-Canada members resumed picketing at several Canadian National Railway Co. facilities on Tuesday, the railroad is launching a job action of its own. Yesterday, CN announced it will lock out striking workers at various terminals where union members “withdraw their services.”

“CN is a scheduled railroad, and we cannot run scheduled/precision freight operations without predictable manpower resources,” said CN President and Chief Executive Officer E. Hunter Harrison in a prepared statement. “We must ensure the continuity of our operations.”

UTU-Canada resumed its CN strike after members resoundingly rejected a tentative agreement reached Feb. 24. The union — which represents 2,800 CN conductors and yard service workers in Canada — plans to conduct a “rotating strike” under which picketing locations and times are determined by UTU-Canada officials. CN managers are filling in for striking workers.

CN is prepared to resume negotiations with the union, but no date has been set to renew talks, Harrison said. UTU-Canada officials continue to assure CN officers the rotating strikes won’t affect commuter-rail services in Toronto and Montreal.