The railroads estimated that a rail strike would cost the economy $2 billion a day in a report issued earlier this fall.
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The railroads, which haul about 40% of the nation's freight each year, estimated that a rail strike would cost the economy $2bn a day in a report issued earlier this fall.
A rail strike could have frozen almost 30% of U.S. cargo shipments by weight, stoked already surging inflation, cost the American economy as much as $2 billion a day, and stranded millions of rail passengers.
Under the Railway Labor Act, the federal agency that oversees railroad and airline labor relations is the National Mediation Board, which tries to bring the two sides together, and it set up a series of limits and cooling off periods during which unions can not strike and management can not lock out the workers.
The nation's supply of food could take a hit if railroad workers go on strike, driving up prices at the grocery store and limiting U.S. grain exports to countries facing famine.
When was the last rail strike in the United States? The last industry strike took place in 1992, when railroad workers with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers walked off the job.
Supply SqueezesIf railroad workers went on strike, drayage freight truckers would lack the necessary equipment to handle the supply capacity of a freight train. With less space to transport goods via trucks, it would take longer to move the same amount of product.
The schedules are of particular concern with rail workers citing a lack of sick leave, inability to routinely visit the doctor or tend to family emergencies, and weekslong stretches of being on call.
Only the nation's freight rail lines face a pending strike, but commuters would likely be affected, too. Many commuter trains travel on tracks maintained and operated by the freight railroads and passenger railroads expect they'll have to shut down their operations once the freight strike starts.
Last fall, many union railroad workers in the United States did not have paid sick days. Now, more than sixty percent of them do, Reuters reports. It has been a process of slow, piecemeal wins over many months—and a testament to the continued push of high-profile politicians like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont).
Work SchedulesBecause trains operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, railroad workers' schedules may vary to include nights, weekends, and holidays. Most work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week.
BNSF Railway leads the market The railroad focuses on transporting freight commodities such as coal, industrial or agricultural products. In 2022, the company generated some 24.49 billion U.S. dollars in freight revenue and hauled more than 10 million carloads across the country.
Amtrak is preemptively suspending some service because its track will be affected if freight rail workers go on strike. “Amtrak operates almost all of our 21,000 route miles outside the Northeast Corridor (NEC) on track owned, maintained, and dispatched by freight railroads,” said Marc Magliari, an Amtrak spokesman.