Amtrak has canceled all of its long-distance routes beginning Thursday in preparation for a potential railroad workers strike.
If BNSF, Union Pacific and CSX and unions representing some 115,000 freight railway workers cannot come to an agreement by Friday, the workers plan to strike.
While Amtrak workers are not involved in the labor dispute, most of the company’s long routes operate on track that is owned and maintained by the freight railroads.
“While we are hopeful that parties will reach a resolution, Amtrak has now begun phased adjustments to our service in preparation for a possible freight rail service interruption later this week,” Amtrak said in a statement.
The statement added: “Such an interruption could significantly impact intercity passenger rail service, as Amtrak operates almost all of our 21,000 route miles outside the Northeast Corridor (NEC) on track owned, maintained, and dispatched by freight railroads. These initial adjustments include canceling all Long Distance trains and could be followed by impacts to most State-Supported routes.”
The Amtrak news came after a labor union that represents U.S. railroad workers said its 4,900 members voted against a deal its leaders had reached with U.S. freight railroads.
The union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), had been one of ten labor groups to tentatively agree to contract recommendations made by a nonpartisan panel appointed by President Biden, the Wall Street Journal reported. Two other unions have yet to reach a deal, the report adds.
“IAM freight rail members are skilled professionals who have worked in difficult conditions through a pandemic to make sure essential products get to their destinations,” the union said in a statement on Wednesday announcing the results of the vote.
The statement adds: “We look forward to continuing that vital work with a fair contract that ensures our members and their families are treated with the respect they deserve for keeping America’s goods and resources moving through the pandemic.”
A new poll by SMART-TED, one of the biggest railroad unions, reveals that 78 percent of its workers would reject the proposed deal.
Now, officials from both sides are set to meet Wednesday with Labor Secretary Marty Walsh as the White House aims to facilitate an agreement before Friday. If an agreement cannot be reached by Friday at 12:01 a.m., the unions have threatened to strike.
While the meeting occurs in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Republicans plan to introduce a bill by Senators Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Richard Burr of North Carolina that would require both sides to accept the contract recommendations made by the presidential panel in order to avoid a crippling shutdown of U.S. freight railways.
At issue is a points-based attendance policy for conductors and engineers that union leaders say punish workers for missing work for routine doctors visits and family medical emergencies.
The two largest unions have said their members will not agree to a deal that does not address the issue and the railroads have not shown a willingness to change the policy.
The Republican legislation, which would only force both sides to adopt the board’s recommendations in the event that an agreement is not reached by the Friday deadline, may have difficulty advancing in Congress as it is unclear whether Democrats would support the measure.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that he believes both sides should agree to the board’s recommendations.
“The president’s board has made a recommendation as to how this should be settled, and unless [President Biden] changed his position the president apparently supports the position of the presidential board,” McConnell said. “That seems to me to be the perfect place to get the strike settled.”