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Oct. 26 (UPI) -- The threat of a crippling nationwide freight rail strike next month gathered speed Wednesday after a second railroad union rejected a tentative labor agreement. The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, which represents more than 6,000 workers who install and repair signal systems, voted down the proposed four-year deal, brokered by the Biden administration last month, with 60.5% against the agreement and 39.2% voting for it. "For the first time that I can remember, the BRS members voted not to ratify a National Agreement, and with the highest participation rate in BRS history," Michael Baldwin, president of the...

Scores of Amazon employees walked out of the Amazon Air Regional Air Hub in San Bernardino Friday, Oct. 14, to protest what they have called unfair labor practices and retaliation in response to their demands for better, safer jobs and a $5 hourly pay raise. Crowds gathered on the corner of a street leading to the 659,000-square-foot warehouse, known as KSBD, where roughly 1,400 employees work. Jane Chung, a spokesperson for the Warehouse Worker Resource Center, wrote in an email that 100 employees, or half the shift, went on strike Friday afternoon. Night shift workers also were expected to walk...

Amazon employees at an important distribution hub in Joliet walked off the job Tuesday, calling attention to their demands for higher pay and new workplace safety rules. The walkout by some employees on the day shift was timed to disrupt the retailer’s operations during its Prime Day promotion, which lasts Tuesday and Wednesday. It was part of a national pressure campaign, supported by pro-labor groups, that included job actions near Atlanta and a walkout planned Friday in San Bernardino, California. Organizers said more than 600 workers in Joliet signed a petition demanding that the company raise base hourly wages to...

A union representing nearly 12,000 railroad workers on Monday voted down the tentative contract agreement between freight railroad companies and all 12 of their unions brokered by the White House last month. Why it matters: The rejection, by the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the Teamsters (BMWED), raises the prospect once again of a nationwide rail strike.

Ukraine is readying evacuation centers in its capital city of Kyiv in preparation for a potential nuclear attack following warnings from Russian President Vladimir Putin that his country would take every necessary action to claim victory. Putin recently threatened that Russia would not hesitate to deploy nuclear weapons against what he called “a threat to the territorial integrity of our country.” The preparations come following Russia’s escalatory move in the war to annex parts of occupied Ukraine following referenda in each of the areas. The votes were viewed by a large swath of the international community as illegitimate and Ukraine’s...

Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific and other railroads reached a tentative union deal brokered by the Biden administrationThe threat of a U.S. freight railroad strike still looms. Union members still need to ratify a tentative agreement reached by their leaders. Some local members have already rejected the terms.The largest U.S. freight railroads and union leaders struck a tentative deal Wednesday after 20 hours of negotiations, temporarily averting a strike that would have shut down rail lines across the country and disrupted the economy. But the issue is far from over. Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District...

One day after leading Democratic politicians and the media announced that tentative agreements had been reached between the two largest railroad workers unions, both unions acknowledged that no final tentative agreements actually exist yet and that workers should not expect to view any details of the agreements for weeks.“Anyone who states that they have seen a final copy of the TA, have a copy of the final TA or knows the final contents of the agreement is not being truthful.” The documents, it continues, “have not been fully reviewed by both parties’ legal counsel” and have not been presented “to...

The White House-brokered agreement to avert a railroad strike has the potential to fall apart, threatening widespread economic disruption right before the midterm elections. Rail workers are set to vote on the tentative deal reached between unions and railroads Thursday morning. If any of the 12 rail unions fail to ratify a new contract, nearly 125,000 rail workers could be headed for a strike. The agreement would mandate two-person crews, cap health care costs and allow workers to take time off for medical appointments or other scheduled events without being penalized, all key concessions won by unions. The deal also...

The world’s largest package delivery company and the union representing tens of thousands of its employees are entering a critical countdown towards the expiration of the current union contract in 2023. Workers at UPS are demanding better wages and workplace protections, following a summer of demands for better equipment against heat-related death and illness inside the ubiquitous brown trucks. But union organisers and labour leaders are also preparing for the possibility of a strike, which could be the largest ever against a single company in the US. Roughly 350,000 members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Union work as drivers...

The White House came close this week to facing yet another crisis, this time over a railroad dispute that could have taken a crowbar to the U.S. economy ahead of crucial midterm elections. But in the end, a tentative deal was struck, with both sides crediting the Biden administration with stepping in to help avert a strike that was set to begin on Friday — one that could have further disrupted the nation’s fragile supply chain. Administration officials became involved in the talks weeks ago, lobbying both sides around the clock to argue the stakes were too high for a...

The tentative agreement averts a national rail strike that would have shut down a key part of the U.S. transportation network. The new contracts provide 24% pay increases over 5 years from 2020 through 2024 and include immediate payouts averaging $11,000 upon ratification, according to the Association of American Railroads.

Article Excerpt:SNIP___"ENERGYA strike could have a significant impact on the energy industry, and could hurt consumers who would likely end up paying more for gasoline, electricity and natural gas. Refineries might have to halt production if they can’t get the deliveries they need, or if they don’t have access to rail to ship gasoline.No one wants to risk leaving flammable chemicals stranded on the railroad tracks if a strike occurs. That’s why railroads began curtailing shipments of hazardous materials on Monday to protect that dangerous cargo.Roughly 300,000 barrels of crude oil move by rail each day, which could supply about...

Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) has blocked a joint resolution sponsored by Senator Roger Wicker (R., Miss.) and Senator Richard Burr (R., N.C.) that would avert a freight-rail strike. Wicker and Burr introduced a resolution that would adopt the recommendations of the presidential emergency board (PEB) appointed by President Biden as binding for a new, national, freight-rail labor contract. The PEB recommended a 24 percent pay increase over the five-year span of the contract, the largest pay increase in the history of national bargaining. Sanders said, “Rail workers have a right to strike for reliable schedules. They have a right...

Amtrak will cancel all long-distance trains beginning on Thursday to avoid disruptions in advance of a potential rail worker strike later this week. An Amtrak spokesperson said the changes will ensure trains can reach their destinations before the strike, which could begin as early as Friday, and the adjustments could soon extend to other routes. Amtrak is not involved in the contract negotiations between rail workers and freight companies, but many of its trains run on railroads owned by third parties that would shut down if a strike takes place.

One of the unions representing rail workers said Wednesday that its members rejected a proposed deal with rail carriers and voted to move forward with a strike that could have severe consequences for the U.S. economy. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers issued a statement saying that roughly 4,900 of its members turned down the tentative agreement with the National Carriers' Conference Committee (NCCC) representing railroads, but noted that they would hold off on striking for at least a few weeks while other unions continue their talks.

Lawmakers are under pressure to avert a rail worker strike as soon as this week that would batter the nation’s economy just before November’s midterm elections. Republican senators introduced a resolution to impose a new contract if negotiations between railroads and unions collapse, while Democrats say they would pass legislation to block a rail shutdown if necessary. More than 115,000 rail workers will be legally allowed to strike on Friday. The cooling-off period expires 30 days after the White House-appointed Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) released contract recommendations that call for 24 percent raises, back pay and cash bonuses. The two...

ransomnote: see post #1 for potential impacts on crude oil shipmentsA paralyzing railroad strike that has been brewing since January 2020 may unfold this week. Even if it does not come to pass, railroads had already begun preparations Monday by curtailing some shipments.More than 90,000 rail workers from 13 unions around the United States might strike Friday if the unions that represent them can’t reach a contract agreement with the National Railway Labor Conference, which represents the rail companies. The railroads reached an agreement with the leaders of 11 of the 13 unions, but those unions do not include the...

In light of the possibility of a rail labor strike, the six Class I freight railroads participating in national bargaining will begin to take steps to manage and secure the shipments of hazardous and security-sensitive materials, such as chlorine used to purify drinking water and chemicals used in fertilizer, starting as early as Monday, September 12. Railroads are taking all measures necessary to handle sensitive cargo in accordance with federal regulations to ensure that no such cargo is left on an unattended or unsecured train in the event of a work stoppage due to an impasse in labor negotiations. Additionally,...

President Biden faces a Monday deadline to forestall a freight train rail strike that could further aggravate the nation’s supply chain problems. Railroads and union workers have been unable to reach an agreement on a new contract and the rail companies are now seeking intervention from the Biden administration, which is weighing the appointment of an arbitration board to recommend a settlement. The unions and rail companies are at the end of a 30-day “cooling-off” period that ends Monday, and without presidential intervention, a strike could be imminent.

Railroad freight traffic across the United States could come to a screeching halt July 18 if progress isn’t made on a labor contract between national rail carriers and their unions. Union officials stressed they do not want to go on strike, but argued they are being forced to consider the option in a bid to get better benefits, wages and staffing. The unions have worked without a contract since July 1, 2019. The two sides were forced into a 30-day “cooling off period” after failing to reach an agreement working through the National Mediation Board. The cooling off period prevents...