WASHINGTON DC (WTAQ-METRO) – President Biden says a tentative agreement has been reached to avoid a rail workers strike. Biden said the deal is a win for workers who “worked tirelessly through the pandemic.”
He went on to say the deal will provide rail workers with better pay, improved working conditions and “peace of mind around their health care costs.” Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh said the deal came after 20 consecutive hours of negotiations. Walsh added the rail system “is integral to our supply chain, and a disruption would have had catastrophic impacts.”
Amtrak had begun to cancel all long distance routes, including those in Wisconsin, due to the possibility of a strike as soon as this Friday.
While Amtrak’s workforce is not affected by the potential strike, it’s passenger trains share tracks with freight trains, and those tracks are owned by freight railroads.
