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Importers and exporters are left with few options as a near-total rail shutdown in Canada risks delaying ocean shipments, spiking freight costs and straining the busiest U.S. ports.

The Canadian railway system has been struck with two major work stoppages amid failed labor negotiations Aug. 22.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is urging Canada’s two largest railways and unionized workers to reach a deal to avert a strike that businesses warn will cause significant harm to the economy.

Canadian businesses are warning about potential long-term damage to the economy if railway and port strikes go ahead and choke the country’s vital trading arteries.

Canadian National Railway Co. issued a formal notice Aug. 18 that union-affiliated workers will be locked out in the coming days if a labor agreement is not reached.

More than 1,100 unionized DHL Express workers walked off the job at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, a critical logistics hub for the package delivery company.

The 340,000 employees of UPS Inc. represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have approved a new five-year labor pact with the company.

UPS Inc. has become a hot employer since its union last month secured $30 billion in new money over a five-year contract.

Local union leaders voted in favor of a tentative labor agreement that UPS and the Teamsters reached July 25, an important step toward finalizing a deal that covers about 340,000 workers.

Less-than-truckload carrier Yellow Corp. said it continues to negotiate with union leaders as the future of the company, which has been in operation for nearly 100 years, may be in jeopardy.