It looks as though labor and the railroads are coming to an impasse on new contracts. These articles from Railway Age are backgrounders:
First: Grasping at Straws to Avoid a Shutdown by John J Brennan III
Second, First: Yes, a Rail Shutdown Can Occur, by Frank N. Wilner
Brief, fair use quote from the Wilner article
First: Grasping at Straws to Avoid a Shutdown by John J Brennan III
Second, First: Yes, a Rail Shutdown Can Occur, by Frank N. Wilner
Brief, fair use quote from the Wilner article
The railroads’ rationale for pressuring Wall Street wizzes to downplay the probability of a rail strike or management lockout initiating a nationwide rail shutdown—instead preferring they say the event is “unlikely”—is that shutdown chatter unnerves shippers and drives those with non-rail options to other modes well ahead of the conjectured event.
There is, indeed, a likelihood of a nationwide rail shutdown as early as mid-September if rail labor and management do not voluntarily settle sooner.
~John Perkowski: Moderator: General Discussion: Locomotives, Rolling Stock, and Equipment
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Assistant Administrator: Railroad.net/forums
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