CP Rail Gearing Up For a Strike

Michael Ludwig

Michael Ludwig

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Jul 6, 2009
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Apparently CP's engineers and conductors are in a strike position. With Canadian rail being at roughly 117% capacity, CP being roughly 50% of the rail traffic in Canada, and CN being saddled with having to move grain over freight, it's a pretty good bet that that the increased rates we have all been enjoying to date, are going to increase even further.
Canadian Tire will go absolutely nuts if they can't get either rail cans or trucks !!!
Stay tuned folks :)
 
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Hopefully they get this resolved by April 21 deadline. Could also create havoc for domestic LTL longhaul as most of that is now done via container over rail. But the news is generally good for those of us who own shares in the rails..
 
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I'd like to see this resolved quickly too, but what point is there to the right to strike when workers can be legislated back to work so easily? Likely management knows this, and they know they can take a hard line with their people knowing they will likely be forced back to work. Not trying to sound like I'm Joe Teamster.. but.. maybe some of the issues they're bringing up need to be given more serious consideration.
 
It's for the good of the country rail is already messed up with CN's incompetence and if CP was allowed to strike for an indeterminate time it would really hurt our economy. A country this big it needs to be an essential service since we don't have a lot of options (2).
 
Hunter trained a good many of his management staff to run trains and man the signals.. for precisely this type of an event..
 
We've been chattering here today about the need for more track. We're so limited with rail - someone else has got to get into the game. We need a modern day "Hell on Wheels" to get goin' and build something...somewhere. If you haven't watched this show by the way - it's quite fantastic. Laying down tracks..well...it certainly was hell at one time....
HellOnWheelsCredits.jpg
 
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Yesterday FTL on ON-BC lane were 8 and 216 loads going west. wonder how much worth of business going down to the rail.
 
Both CN and CP have been laying down more rail, mostly in twinning existing single track and extending sidings to accommodate 10 thousand foot and longer trains. Aside from the problems one hears about them from time to time, both are well run companies (and may I add currently undervalued in the marketplace).

CP's current CEO, Keith Creel, may be best described as Hunter lite.. he's got the smarts of his (in)famous mentor, but he's also got the people skills to deal with these thorny labour issues effectively.
 
Shakey said:
CP just issued embargo

No one was ready for the influx of freight we have today and all (truckers & railroads) are investing heavily to increase capacity
Click to expand...

You can invest in all the equipment you will ever need to fill the gap, but if you don't have people to operate them, it's a waste of money. The biggest hurdle is operators, whether it be drivers or engineers, there just isn't enough of them out there. Personally, I hope it never gets resolved ... I kind of like the current rate environment ... constantly increasing ... LOL
 
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Funny thing is all this talk about self driving this and autonomous that over that last couple of years has discouraged people from getting into the industry.. i.e. a young person is going to think twice about becoming a driver if there's a good possibility that their job will become redundant. So... here come the autonomous trucks.. but HELP.. we need drivers!!!
 
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