Impasse Between US Freight Railroads and 9 of 12 Railroad Unions Continues

With 9 out of the 12 railroad unions still in negotiations with the freight railroads on a new labor agreement and major sticking points over wages and benefits remaining a major hurdle—coupled with a recent coalition of unions survey indicating increasing support for by union members for a work stoppage—time is growing short to prevent a nationwide freight railroad strike from starting at 12:01 AM on Friday, September 16, 2022.

According to a joint statement released by the heads of two of the larger rail unions, meetings last week between labor and the freight railroads failed to lead to any tentative agreement language that the operating crafts could accept.

In a statement issued last Friday (8-26-22), union representatives said they “remain committed” to negotiations over key issues such as wages, quality of life, attendance, and voluntary time off. “Our goal is and always has been to reach a voluntary agreement that is worthy of our membership’s consideration,” they said.

A new labor deal has been in the works since January 2020, but the negotiations had failed to progress. A federal mediation board took up the negotiations but released the parties from those efforts earlier this summer. The Presidential Emergency Board became involved in the process and conducted hearings in July and August and have since reported their findings to the President.