Rail agreement will avoid disruptions in chain and passenger travel

By Julius Washington
Howard University News Service

WASHINGTON (HUN) – Railroad workers unions and company officials reached an agreement early Thursday, following 20 hours of marathon talks, ending fears of a national strike that could disrupt deliveries and further disrupt public transportation.

Members of the Biden administration have been engaged in negotiations for months, and in July proposed a move to break a settlement between unions and rail companies.

On Wednesday, with no resolution in sight, Senate Republicans proposed forcing the railroad workers to accept a contract offered by a Biden-appointed board, but Sen. Bernie Sanders ultimately blocked it, saying in a statement: “I’m proud to block the effort.”

“This is a win for the economy and the American people,” President Biden took a victory lap over the success of the negotiations, tweeting from his official @POTUS account.

The United States has one of the most extensive freight rail networks in the world, covering nearly 140,000 miles of track and an $80 billion industry.

Tanya Penny, director of Howard University’s Center of Excellence in Supply Chain Management, pointed out how devastating the strike could be.

“In the US, 40% of our freight goes by rail, so it would have been a disaster,” Penny said. “I see billions of dollars in terms of impact.”

While there have been strikes and shortages in the past, Penny said the railroad strike will be especially difficult. The issue here is that we have many supply chain challenges.

“You can’t necessarily move from rail to truck, because there aren’t enough truck drivers to do that,” Perry said. “The ability to go from one mode of transportation to another is limited because there is already access to the ports.”

Thomas Battis, an Amtrak commuter at Washington’s Union Station, voiced some of his fears about potential supply chain issues. “It was not the right time to allow other disruptions to our daily lives and further inflation,” Batti said. “That was my fear, and probably everyone else’s.

The impact of the freight strike was felt beyond cargo and supply chain disruptions. Amtrak, the nation’s largest passenger rail agency, owns only 3% of the rail it uses, mainly in the busy Northeast Corridor. Freight train operator

rs, including CSX, BNSF and Union Pacific, operate most of the nation’s tracks.

A potential strike would devastate Amtrak’s long-distance passenger rail lines and the railroad itself.
It has already canceled its long-haul routes from Tuesday, offering refunds to passengers and abandoning fares reserved before October 31.

Following the announced settlement, Amtrak said it is “working to quickly restore canceled trains and accommodate affected customers’ earliest departures.” But when it was scheduled to leave Union Station, the overnight route to New Orleans was canceled.

At Union Station, the second-busiest station in the Amtrak network, some commuters expressed concern about their embarrassment that day.

Batis, who was traveling with his son and daughter, indicated that he was worried before he felt that there was no problem in the northeast region.

“We had a very worthwhile trip. “I was happy to hear the news last night that the Northeast Corridor short track movement will be safe.”

Although Bati is concerned about the travel issue, he also understands the grievances of union members.

“Sick time and other benefits for the workers or the treatment that the regular workers get seems to be treated unfairly… It’s really like things in the 50s, not in 2022,” he said.

Another commuter, Jeremiah Johnson, an office worker who commutes between New York and Washington on Amtrak, echoed these sentiments.

“At the same time, I hope the workers get a fair shake, they get paid,” Johnson said. “We need workers who will take care of and maintain this important infrastructure – take good care of it.”

At the end of the day, some commuters were generally unconcerned about the strike’s impact on their journeys.

“I’m interested to read how it went today, but selfishly, I’m relieved it didn’t affect my travel plans,” Johnson said.

Julius Washington is a reporter for HUNewsService.com.