# 2024 Was a Year of Labor Unrest at US and Canada Rail and Shipping Ports

> DTN's year-end review ranks US and Canadian port and rail labour unrest as a top 2024 ag story, citing the Teamsters-CN/CPKC dispute and the Oct. 1-3 US East and West Coast port strike. It frames the disruptions by their effect on agricultural trade.

- Date: 2024-12-18 · published 2024-12-18T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/26999-2024-was-a-year-of-labor-unrest-at-us-and-canada-rail-and-shipping-ports
- Commodities: [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md), [Ocean Grain Freight](https://feedsoft.ai/c/OCEANFRT.md), [Wheat (SRW)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/WHEAT.md)

## Why it matters

Repeated labour disruptions at ports and rail raise freight costs and delay exports, which widens spreads between interior and export basis. The review summarises past events rather than adding new supply.

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| WHEAT | 2023-09-19 | [Summer of strikes in US and Canadian ports offer lessons for shipping \| International Chamber of Shipping](https://feedsoft.ai/events/34119-summer-of-strikes-in-us-and-canadian-ports-offer-lessons-for-shipping.md) | -1.6% | -1.9% |
| WHEAT | 2024-07-08 | [Cargo chaos looms as strikes threaten Canada's ports and rail networks - The Loadstar](https://feedsoft.ai/events/29279-cargo-chaos-looms-as-strikes-threaten-canada-s-ports-and-rail-networks-the.md) | +8.2% | +1.0% |
| WHEAT | 2026-04-28 | [When Grain Stops Moving Rail and Port Delays Cost Canada Up to $540 Million \| Farms.com](https://feedsoft.ai/events/19282-when-grain-stops-moving-rail-and-port-delays-cost-canada-up-to-540-million.md) | -2.0% | +0.6% |
| WHEAT | 2019-11-26 | [Canada's biggest rail strike in a decade hits exports, sparks layoffs](https://feedsoft.ai/events/56079-canada-s-biggest-rail-strike-in-a-decade-hits-exports-sparks-layoffs.md) | -0.3% | -1.8% |
| WHEAT | 2020-05-01 | [Canada’s largest port growing to keep up with demand \| Ontario Farmer](https://feedsoft.ai/events/53145-canada-s-largest-port-growing-to-keep-up-with-demand-ontario-farmer.md) | +2.7% | +2.5% |

## Sources

- dtnpf.com: https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/business-inputs/article/2024/12/18/2024-year-labor-unrest-us-canada

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.