Canadian National, union stalemate prolongs strike

Canadian National, union stalemate prolongs strike

   Canadian National Railway Co. ended talks with the Canadian Auto Workers union Sunday night and withdrew improved contract terms it had offered to striking workers, Reuters reported. The stalemate is expected to prolong what is already the longest strike in more than 15 years at the railroad.

   Almost 5,000 Canadian Auto Workers union members across Canada went on strike Feb 19.

   The union said Monday it was calling on CN and federal government mediators to ensure that the bargaining resumes. “The strike is having an enormous effect on both sides,” the Canadian Auto Workers union said.

   “CN must return to the table and take up where the discussions left off,” the union added in a statement.

   “From the point of view of the shippers and the Canadian economy and our exports, this is really bad news,” Reuters reported Bob Ballantyne, president of the Canadian Industrial Transportation Association, as saying.