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CN strike not impacting operations at Squamish port — yet

On average, the port sees 18 to 36 CN cars about five days a week, says terminal manager
CN news
A CN train in Squamish, prior to the strike that began last Tuesday.

The week-old strike at CN hasn't greatly impacted operations at the Squamish Terminals, at least not yet.

"At this point in time, it is not impacting us," terminal manager Paul Morris told The Chief on Monday afternoon.

The port is loading trucks with steel products and has the ability to receive pulp, which is the primary commodity it receives on CN, by truck.

There is no picket line at the terminals and no CN cars on site, Morris said. On average, the port sees 18 to 36 cars about five days a week.

"We are very fortunate. There is a ship that is sailing today and we had all the cargo on site about a week ago, so we were in good shape prior to the strike taking place."

The terminals also has enough volume in its warehouses to accommodate the mid-December vessel it is expecting, according to Morris.

Should the strike carry on much longer than that, however, the Squamish port would suffer "serious implications," he said.

"It will end up putting a lot more trucks on the road. The mills do have the capacity to move cargo via truck, but it is more costly and a lot less efficient... and harder on the environment."

As reported by The Canadian Press last week, 3,200 CN Teamsters Canada Rail Conference staff across the country, who have been without a contract since July 23, walked off the job Nov. 19 over what they say are dangerous working conditions including long hours leading to fatigue.

"Some of the outstanding issues include safety, fatigue, time off provisions and lifetime caps on benefits. While seeking these concessions, CN posted $3.8 billion in revenue for the third quarter of 2019," wrote Lyndon Isaak, president of the conference, in a letter to its officers posted on its website. 

CN says this labour dispute is really about workers' wages and has called on the union to enter into binding arbitration, with an arbitrator chosen by the parties or appointed by the federal government.

"At the industry level, our presidents and different groups are sending a message to the government reinforcing the seriousness of the situation and hope for a quick resolve," Morris said.

~With files from The Canadian Press

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