ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, US — Members of the Agricultural Transportation Work Group (ATWG) in a May 9 letter urged Canadian leaders to take action to avoid a rail strike that could begin as soon as May 22.

The Teamsters Canada union, which represents 9,000 workers at Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), has threatened to strike as they negotiate labor agreements. CN and CPKC are major shippers of grain, potash and coal across North America and a critical piece of the Canadian economy. Canada is a major exporter of wheat and canola.

In its letter to Canadian Minister of Labor Seamus Regan, the 20-member ATWG, which includes the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and the North American Millers’ Association (NAMA), said rail in Canada should be designated as an essential service.

“A rail stoppage would lead to shutdowns or slowdowns of rail-dependent facilities resulting in devastating consequences to national and global food security,” the letter noted.  “Our memberships rely on freight rail to move essential products across Canada and the US and a disruption to CN and CPKC’s rail service could ripple across North America. The impact of a strike would be particularly severe as trucking is not a viable option for many shippers due to their high-volume needs and the long distances for many of the movements.”

Read the full letter here.

Paul Boucher, president of Teamsters Canada, said the sides have made no progress in six months of negotiations, adding that the companies were trying to remove rest provisions that are critical to safety.

CN said that the union has opposed moving toward a more modern agreement based on an hourly rate and scheduling changes and has focused instead on 200 local and regional demands.