# Strikers have shut down a vital Great Lakes shipping artery for days, and negotiations are looming | AP News

> About 360 Unifor workers in Ontario and Quebec walked out on October 22 over wages with the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. The strike shut 13 locks between Lake Erie and Montreal, trapping ships in the Great Lakes and blocking new arrivals.

- Date: 2023-10-26 · published 2023-10-26T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region Canada · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/33667-strikers-have-shut-down-a-vital-great-lakes-shipping-artery-for-days-and
- Commodities: [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md), [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Ocean Grain Freight](https://feedsoft.ai/c/OCEANFRT.md)

## Why it matters

With the locks closed, grain and fertilizer exports and imports stall during the busy fall shipping season, which can widen basis discounts for soybeans and corn and tighten freight.

## Read by commodity

- SOY: bearish ▼
- CORN: bearish ▼
- OCEANFRT: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SOY | 2023-10-24 | [Canadian lock strike creates another ag shipping problem - Brownfield Ag News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/33670-canadian-lock-strike-creates-another-ag-shipping-problem-brownfield-ag-news.md) | -0.3% | +6.3% |
| SOY | 2024-09-11 | [The Mississippi River is running low again. It’s a problem for farmers moving beans and grain \| AP News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16508-the-mississippi-river-is-running-low-again-it-s-a-problem-for-farmers-moving.md) | +2.9% | +4.0% |
| SOY | 2019-04-30 | [Drought hits Panama Canal shipping, highlights climate fears \| AP News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/59496-drought-hits-panama-canal-shipping-highlights-climate-fears-ap-news.md) | -3.5% | +1.0% |
| SOY | 2023-10-27 | [Canada's Seaway Strike Negotiations Continue](https://feedsoft.ai/events/33669-canada-s-seaway-strike-negotiations-continue.md) | +1.9% | +4.0% |
| SOY | 2026-05-26 | [Low Mississippi River Water Levels Raise Shipping Costs For Farmers — Louisiana Farm Bureau News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16362-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-raise-shipping-costs-for-farmers-louisiana.md) | -0.4% | -5.3% |
| CORN | 2024-11-18 | [Freight rates for grain transportation from Ukraine are decreasing \| Ukrainian and World Shipping News - Ukrainian Shipping Magazine - Ukrainian and World Shipping News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16989-freight-rates-for-grain-transportation-from-ukraine-are-decreasing-ukrainian.md) | -0.1% | +2.7% |
| CORN | 2024-09-11 | [The Mississippi River is running low again. It’s a problem for farmers moving beans and grain \| AP News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16508-the-mississippi-river-is-running-low-again-it-s-a-problem-for-farmers-moving.md) | +5.0% | +5.3% |
| CORN | 2023-11-27 | [Ukraine is shipping more grain through Black Sea despite Russia threat \| AP News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/14343-ukraine-is-shipping-more-grain-through-black-sea-despite-russia-threat-ap-news.md) | -0.8% | +0.4% |

## Sources

- apnews.com: https://apnews.com/article/st-lawrence-seaway-great-lakes-strike-shipping-ab6ae95994cdcf04695b713401a9377e

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