When could the railroad strike start?

A strike could start as soon as Dec. 9 if not averted The bill passed the House on Wednesday, and it will now go to President Biden's desk. The House also passed a separate bill that would give rail workers seven paid sick days, but the Senate did not pass the measure.



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WASHINGTON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden signed legislation Friday to block a national U.S. railroad strike that could have devastated the American economy.

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A prolonged rail strike could create all types of shortages, from gasoline to food to automobiles, and cause a spike in the prices of all types of consumer goods. It can screw up the commutes of tens of thousands of workers who take the train to work, slow the delivery of parts and force factories to shut down.

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A potential strike could lead to $2 billion a day in lost economic output, according to the Association of American Railroads, which lobbies on behalf of rail companies. Freight railroads are responsible for carrying 40% of the nation's long-haul freight and a work stoppage could jeopardize these shipments.

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There Are Still Sticking Points. The probability of a rail strike in coming weeks has increased to 30%, according to an analyst. Experts have estimated a strike could cause a $2 billion daily hit to the U.S. economy.

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The last time US railroads went on strike was in 1992. That strike lasted two days before Congress intervened. An extended rail shutdown has not happened for a century, partly because a law passed in 1926 that governs rail negotiations made it much harder for workers to strike.

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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.

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RMT are set to strike on the following dates in August and September 2023: Saturday, August 26. Saturday, September 2.

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Supply Squeezes If 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.

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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.

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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.

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