President Biden is cheering a tentative deal averting a national railroad strike. Biden and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh helped broker the agreement. Speaking in the Rose Garden on Thursday, the President called it a “big win for America.” He said it’s also a win for rail workers with better pay and improved working conditions. The labor dispute involved freight rail companies and unions and could have led to huge economic disruptions during this time of high inflation.
Biden called freight rails the “backbone of the American supply chain.” He said rail companies will have an easier time recruiting and retaining workers. The threat of a strike prompted Amtrak and commuter rail operators to cancel runs across the country. Freight rail union members must still vote to ratify the deal. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was also involved in the negotiations.
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Amtrak is restoring long distance train trips after a tentative agreement was reached between rail unions and freight railways. The company says it’s working quickly to restore the canceled trips and is contacting customers.
Amtrak announced it was canceling all long distance routes in fear of a strike that would shut freight rail lines down. The routes that were suspended included the Southwest Chief, which runs through Kansas on a route from Los Angeles to Chicago.
The company was not involved in the contract negotiations, but many of its trains run on tracks owned companies that would have been impacted by a strike.
