A nationwide rail strike, potentially upending the U.S. supply chain, is being threatened for September 17 unless averted by a last-minute agreement.
Ten of the 12 unions involved in the nation’s rail system have signed new contracts. However, the two holdouts, representing locomotive engineers and sheet metal workers, are threatening a job action that could shut down all major U.S. railroads.
The pending strike is drawing warnings that vital commodity shipments could be interrupted, including fertilizer, grain, livestock and poultry. “A shutdown would quickly cause additional problems and force producers to make difficult decisions regarding the viability of their animals,” the National Grain and Feed Association said in a statement.
The Biden administration has been in touch with rail companies and the holdout unions in an effort to avert a strike.
Updated September 15, 8:22 a.m. CDT: According to the White House, a tentative railway labor agreement has been reached.
