CN (and the United Transportation Union (UTU) announced that UTU-represented employees working on the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway Company (DM&IR) have ratified a new 7-year collective agreement. CN purchased the DM&IR as part of its May 2004 acquisition of the rail and marine holdings of Great Lakes Transportation LLC.

The new labor pact settles wage and work-rule issues for 74 trainmen for the period ending in September 2012. The agreement replaces the traditional mileage/rule-based agreement with one based upon hourly wages and job security. Most of CN's U.S. train and engine employees work under hourly-rate labor contracts.

The UTU members on the DM&IR are principally involved in operating CN trains hauling pelletized iron ore in Minnesota and Wisconsin.