US Rail Strike May Cost Washington $2 Billion Per Day, Spark Chaos for Travelers as Agencies Plan Operations Stoppage

Customers who purchase cars might not be able to acquire them when they want, commuter rail lines might see service interruptions, and shipments of everything from oil to livestock feed might be delayed.

These are just a handful of the numerous effects a US train workers' strike would have on the industries and economy of the nation. If the railways and unions are unable to agree by the early Friday walkout deadline, there may be a strike, as per AP News.

US Rail Strike Looms

As a potential freight railroad strike disrupts service along Amtrak's long-distance lines, some passengers are scrambling. Although Amtrak is not a party to the talks, service adjustments have already been made that may be impacted by the disagreement. Amtrak will stop operating all long-distance trains as of September 15th, according to CNN.

On Friday at midnight, tens of thousands of freight rail employees are preparing to strike, which might significantly impact the entire economy. It already has certain negative effects on freight companies, passengers on trains, and other groups. The reason is a conflict between the workers who support the freight sector and the industry itself.

A proposal created by a presidential emergency board that the White House established over the summer to help resolve the conflict has already received support from most of the 12 unions that represent the workers. Although the proposal calls for a 24 percent wage boost for workers by 2024, many employees have expressed dissatisfaction that it does not address issues like leave, on-call scheduling, and unfavorable working circumstances.

According to the holdout unions, compensation increases are insufficient to compensate for the job's significant drawbacks - and hazardous elements. Both parties are at a standstill as a result of the proposal's continued opposition from the two most influential unions in the negotiations, which represent engineers and conductors.

It would be the first strike of its kind in 30 years if workers did decide to go on strike, which is what they seem to be speeding toward. A freight strike might have severe implications on an already fragile economy that is still suffering from supply chain disruptions and inflation if it happens, especially if it is long-lasting, VOX reported.

Rail Strike Could Wreak Havoc on US Supply Chain

Both Southern California's Metrolink and Chicago's Metra service have been advising customers to use other forms of transportation as they anticipated service interruptions to start on Thursday night. Four lines in Chicago would be affected by the suspension, compared to five out of the seven lines in Metrolink, which would affect up to 70% of passengers.

The suspension of the VRE's operations in Virginia would impact around 10,000 daily commuters. If there is a rail strike, there won't be any rail service as an option into the District for individuals who use the Blue and Yellow lines as well as those who use the VRE, according to Clarkson, who spoke to the Post.

Some Amtrak passengers are already frantically trying to receive refunds as they hope the unions and businesses can quickly agree to resume services. To avert a shutdown of the freight train system, President Joe Biden has decided to cancel all of the company's trips.

To keep the system operating, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers reported that 4,900 of its members had voted to reject an agreement that its executives had negotiated with American freight railways. It has now extended the deadline for negotiations to September 29, as per Daily Mail.