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Just what we need with the ports starting to limp along – railroad workers and the big train companies are at loggerheads and if they do not agree by 12:01 AM Friday, the workers say they will strike.<\/p>\n
At midday on Tuesday, Norfolk Southern will stop accepting intermodal cargo: goods that move by combinations of ship, truck and rail transport. Those shipments include consumer goods and e-commerce packages that account for almost half of U.S. rail traffic.<\/p>\n
U.S. railroads account for almost 30% of cargo transport by weight and maintain nearly 97% of the tracks Amtrak uses for commuter rail. Widespread railroad disruptions could choke supplies of food and fuel, spawn transportation chaos and stoke inflation.<\/p>\n
Railroads late last week said they would halt shipments of hazardous materials such as chlorine used to purify drinking water and chemicals used in fertilizer on Monday so they are not stranded in unsafe locations in the event of a strike.<\/p>\n
As of Sunday, eight of 12 unions had reached tentative deals covering about half of 115,000 workers, the National Railway Labor Conference (NRLC) said.<\/p>\n
Hold outs include the transportation division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET).\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Reuters<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Like most strikes, there are two sides to the story: The railroads pared over 30,000 workers over the last six years and are pushing for minimal manning to maximize profits. The railroad workers complain of being on call 24\/7 and pay which has not matched with inflation. Commenters say the railroads want\u00a0 solely one engineer on trains a mile and a half or less in length, and two men working up to 3 mile long trains.<\/p>\n
Now, in the past Congress and the President have simply ordered the railroads and workers to get it sorted and keep the trains rolling. Given how much of the current administration is beholden to unions, I find it hard to believe we will see the same resolve. As we know, F.J. Biden is no H.S. Truman. Just what we need with peak consumer shipping season in process and harvest shipments in the offing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"