On Sunday, August 18, 2024, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) stated that it had informed CN and CPKC of a 72-hour notice to strike, and unless the workers and the railroads can reach an agreement, the workers plan to be off the job at 12:01 AM Eastern Standard Time on August 22.
CN issued its own announcement a few hours later, notifying all that they would lock out the workers unless an agreement or binding arbitration was found. CPKC had previously announced its intention to lock out workers.