A national rail strike could still be on the table if rank-and-file workers reject the tentative agreement announced by the White House this week.
By Jeff Schuhrke, In These Times
President Joe Biden took a victory lap on Thursday after his administration helped broker a deal to stave off what would have been the first national freight railroad strike in 30 years. But the potential crisis is not over until rank-and-file rail workers vote on whether to approve the agreement — which could take weeks.
“Until railroad workers in the coming days can digest this and have their questions answered, there’s no consensus able to build on whether this deal is good, bad or ugly,” said Ron Kaminkow, a Nevada-based engineer and member of the Teamsters-affiliated Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen (BLET).
The tentative agreement reached early Thursday covers over 60,000 workers with the BLET and the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD), two of 12 rail unions that have been in contract negotiations with the major freight rail carriers for nearly three years. While the other unions had already reached tentative deals, the BLET and SMART-TD were the last holdouts.
Recent Posts
Midterms Have Revived Universal Healthcare Debate. These States Are Ahead of Everyone.
Take Action Now States have often served as laboratories to test health policies later implemented nationally.By Markian Hawryluk, KFF Health……
Nobel Peace Prize Turns Toward Peace in 2026
Take Action Now To have finally acknowledged someone whose work in any way addressed the horrors of Zionism is an encouraging sign from the Nobel…
64 Groups to Congress: Start Preparing Tough and Effective Oversight Right Now
Take Action Now The question is not whether the public wants accountability, but whether Congress can conduct the meaningful oversight that exposes…
“Abolish ICE”: Protests Erupt in NYC After ICE Agents Shoot Father With 5-Year-Old Son in Car
Take Action Now “Candidates should seek support from the AI industry at their own peril.”By Amy Goodman, Darializa Avila Chevalier, and Carmen De…