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| Photo Credit: AP. |
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Business and government officials are bracing for the possibility of a nationwide rail strike at the end of this week while talks carry on between the largest U.S. freight railroads and their unions.
The
railroads have already started to curtail shipments of hazardous materials and
have announced plans to stop hauling refrigerated products ahead of Friday’s
strike deadline. Now businesses that rely on Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific,
BNSF, CSX, Kansas City Southern and other railroads to deliver their raw
materials and finished products have started planning for the worst.
Meanwhile,
Biden administration officials are scrambling to develop a plan to use trucks,
ships and planes to try to keep the most crucial chemicals and other goods
moving if the railroads stop rolling. But the White House is also keeping the
pressure on the two sides to settle their differences, and a growing number of
business groups are lobbying Congress to be prepared to intervene and block a
strike if they can’t reach an agreement.
“We have
made crystal clear to the interested parties the harm that American families,
business and farmers and communities would experience if they were not to reach
a resolution,” White House press secretary Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. She said a
shutdown is “not acceptable.”
In addition
to all the businesses that rely on railroads to deliver their goods, passenger
railroads are also affected because many of them operate on tracks owned by one
of the freight railroads. Amtrak has already cancelled several of its
long-distance trains because there wouldn’t be enough time for them to reach
their destinations before a strike or lockout would be allowed to begin at
12:01 a.m. Friday.
Amtrak
already suspended its California Zephyr and Empire Builder lines that run from
Chicago to the West Coast, and starting Wednesday it will stop running its City
of New Orleans, Starlight and Texas Eagle lines along with several others.
Commuter
railroads would also be affected. In Chicago, Metra warned its riders that it
wouldn’t be able to run most of its trains if there is a strike.
The
railroads have reached tentative agreements with most of their unions,
including a ninth deal announced Tuesday, based on the recommendations of a
Presidential Emergency Board Joe Biden appointed this summer that called for
24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses in a five-year deal that’s retroactive to
2020. The deal also includes one additional paid leave day a year and higher
health insurance costs.
But all 12
railroad unions must agree to prevent a strike. The Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers and Trainmen union that represents engineers, and the Transportation
Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and
Transportation Workers union that represents conductors want the railroads to
address some of their concerns about unpredictable work schedules and strict
attendance rules in addition to agreeing to the recommended wage increases.
Ron
Kaminkow, general secretary of the Railroad Workers United labor coalition that
includes workers from a variety of railroad unions, said he doesn’t think the
unions are demanding much at this point — just the kind of things most U.S. workers
already enjoy like the ability to take time off without being penalized.
“We have
attendance policies that have gotten more and more and more draconian. That
offer very, very little leeway for workers who need to take time off for
doctor’s appointments, for time with family, to be rested,” Kaminkow said.
Starting
Monday, all the major railroads put a hold on shipments of hazardous materials
to ensure those dangerous chemicals wouldn’t be stranded along the tracks if
there is a strike. Norfolk Southern told its customers that it will also stop
accepting shipments of intermodal containers full of goods starting Wednesday
evening as it prepares “for a controlled shutdown of the network.”
Some
businesses would likely be affected more than others by a rail shutdown. For
instance, nearly all ethanol and coal and most grain moves by rail.
Associated
Press Writers Seung Min Kim and Zeke Miller contributed to this report from
Washington D.C.