Everything you need to know about the averted rail strike
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Biden scores deal on rail strike, but worker discontent emerges.
Freight railroad companies and unions representing workers have been locked in a dispute over pay and working conditions, but President Biden said Thursday that they had reached a “tentative” deal to avoid a major economic disruption. A strike would have affected not only commuters who rely on the railway to get to work but also the nation’s energy supply and drinking water.
Two of the largest unions — representing 57,000 conductors and engineers — held out until the final hours. But Labor Secretary Marty Walsh held emergency meetings with the rail carriers and unions on Wednesday and overnight into Thursday to help broker a deal. Disruptions were already being felt: Amtrak announced it would cancel all of its long-distance trains starting Thursday, and other rail systems braced for shutdowns.
It’s unclear when operations might resume; Amtrak said it is “working to quickly restore canceled trains.”
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