Two Railroad Unions vote today and that will determine how soon a U.S. Rail Strike may occur.
Preparations for a strike could start as early as NEXT Monday, (Nov. 28) with an actual strike starting as early as December 5.
Here's the schedule:
A rail strike would impact approximately $2.8 billion in chemical cargo that is moved weekly, with a month-long strike resulting in an overall hit to the economy of $160 billion, or one percentage point of GDP, and rise in a key inflation index, the Producer Price Index, of 4%
Railroad strike, diesel fuel shortage, and the fall harvest stuck in the mud of the Mississippi.......
UPDATE 1:53 PM EST --
SMART-TD, one of the largest railroad labor unions, voted down a tentative agreement with rail management, raising the likelihood of a strike in December. The BLET, the other largest union, voted to ratify the labor deal but said it will honor the picket line.
“It’s now back to the bargaining table for our operating craft members,” said Jeremy Ferguson, president of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division. “This can all be settled through negotiations and without a strike. A settlement would be in the best interests of the workers, the railroads, shippers and the American people.”
“We stood shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in SMART-TD and others in rail labor throughout this process and we will continue to stand in solidarity with them as we approach the finish line in this round of negotiations,” said Dennis Pierce, president of BLET, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.
The BMWED, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees, is scheduled to strike Dec. 5 with the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, or BRS.
