Rich Nolan, CEO of the National Mining Association, assesses how a rail freight strike will impact the Cavuto: Coast to Coast supply chain.
One of the unions representing rail workers said Wednesday that its members rejected a proposed deal with railroad companies and voted to go ahead with a strike that could have serious consequences for the US economy.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers issued a statement saying some 4,900 of its members have rejected the tentative agreement with the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), which represents the railroads, but noted that they hold off on strike for at least a few weeks while other unions continue talks.
A BNSF rail terminal worker monitors the departure of a freight train June 15, 2021 in Galesburg, Illinois (` Photo/Shafkat Anowar, File) ((` Photo/Shafkat Anowar, File) / ` Newsroom)
“The preliminary agreement was rejected and the strike authorization vote was approved by the members of IAM District 19,” IAM District 19 said in a statement. “Out of respect for other unions in the ratification process, an extension was agreed to 12pm ET on September 29, 2022. This extension will allow us to continue negotiating changes with the NCCC in the hope of reaching an agreement that membership would ratify.”
“IAM rail freight members are qualified professionals who have worked in difficult conditions during a pandemic to ensure essential products get to their destinations,” the statement continued.
UNIONS ACCUSE THE RAILROAD OF ‘CORPORATE TERRORISM’ AS THE STRIKE PERIOD NEARS
“We look forward to continuing this important work with a fair contract that ensures our members and their families are treated with the respect they deserve for keeping America’s goods and resources moving during the pandemic.” The IAM is grateful for the support of those seeking a solution as our members and railroaders seek fair agreements.”
A BNSF Railway Company train is parked in Seattle in this July 27, 2015 file photo. ((` Photo/Elaine Thompson, file) / ` Newsroom)
IAM is one of four unions that continue to oppose the deal by President Biden-appointed Presidential Emergency Board (PEB). Another eight rail unions have approved the plan.
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION UNDER PRESSURE WHILE THREAT RISE TO RAIL STRIKE
Two other major railroad unions signaled over the weekend that they would not sign without further concessions from the railroads. The heads of the Transportation Division of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Haulage Workers (SMART) and the Teamsters Rail Conference of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) issued a joint statement Sunday saying that the PEB Proposal does not go far enough to improve working conditions for members.
President Biden and Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh participate in a Labor Day visit to United Steelworkers of America Local Union 2227 in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania on September 5, 2022. Biden and Walsh are both involved in talks aimed at avoiding a rail strike. ( (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The Biden administration is currently involved in negotiations to avert a strike that the Association of American Railroads (AAR) says would cost more than $2 billion a day and hurt businesses and consumers alike.
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If no agreement is reached by the deadline, Congress is expected to step in to stop any shutdown. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that she is now working with the White House and unions to avoid a strike, adding that she would rather see a negotiated solution than congressional action.
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