UPDATED: TCRC serves CN with strike notice

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include TCRC's strike notice served to CN.

CN and Canadian Pacific Kansas City yesterday began preparing to restart rail operations in Canada after the federal government stepped in to end a work stoppage that began yesterday for rail workers represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference.

Earlier, TCRC said its members at CN would begin returning to work today. However, this afternoon the TCRC served CN with a 72-hour strike notice, CN officials said in a press release. A strike could begin as early as 10 a.m. Eastern Time on Aug. 26, according to the release.

CN ended its lockout of the TCRC yesterday, after Labor Minister Steve MacKinnon said he would direct the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to impose binding arbitration between both parties.

"While CN is focused on its recovery plan to get back to powering the economy, the Teamsters are focused on returning to the picket line and shutting down the economy, impacting people and jobs across the country," CN officials said this afternoon.

 Meanwhile, TCRC indicated the work stoppage at CPKC would continue pending an order from the CIRB. The parties were expected to meet this morning, according to a CPKC press release.

“CPKC is disappointed by this delay, which will affect our ability to resume serving the Canadian economy,” company officials said in a press release.

Canada’s two Class Is locked out more than 9,200 unionized workers on Thursday after the parties couldn’t reach labor agreements by a midnight deadline. TCRC leaders maintain that the railways are asking the union to make concessions on crew scheduling, rail safety and fatigue management.

The union represents about 6,000 conductors, conductor trainers, yard coordinators and locomotive engineers across the CN network; and 3,200 locomotive engineers, conductors and train-yard workers at CPKC.