Tag Archives: rail strike

Counting Your Chickens Before They Hatch

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Remember the victory lap the Biden administration took for avoiding a possible rail strike. Well, evidently the celebration was a little bit premature.

On Tuesday, Townhall posted an update on the possible rail strike.

The article reports:

As Townhall covered last month, months of negotiations between America’s railroad companies and rail unions ran until the eleventh hour and narrowly averted a massive, economy-crippling strike at the time, a supposedly positive resolution that the Biden administration sought to take credit for after intervening to force a tentative agreement. 

Declaring victory for his administration in the matter — despite the fact that rail worker unions still hadn’t voted to approve the latest agreement — Biden said that the near-shutdown of America’s railways was “validation” that “unions and management can work together for the benefit of everyone.”

In his September remarks, Biden also claimed the tentative contract agreement was a “win for America” to go along with what Biden claimed are other “signs of progress in lowering costs” that have come through his administration’s work to “rebuild a better America.”

All that bluster over a tentative agreement that delayed the strike at the time, as Vespa pointed out earlier, did not mean that a strike was entirely averted. Now, weeks since Biden bragged about the greatness of unions and his administration’s negotiating prowess, a strike is back on the table and looming as a greater threat by the day. 

On Monday, members of America’s third-largest rail union voted against the negotiated contract. For those who remember this song and dance from September, all 12 unions agreed to strike in solidarity unless every union agreed to a deal.

Hopefully new negotiations will be able to avert a strike. Regardless, the celebration occurred before the deal was ratified, misleading Americans. I am very tired of being mislead.

Be Prepared

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On Wednesday, Townhall posted an article about ongoing discussions between the rail unions and companies hoping to avoid a strike.

The article reports:

As the United States barrels toward a Friday deadline for rail unions and companies to reach an agreement to avert a national strike, rail companies are halting shipments in another sign that negotiations might not prevent a nationwide rail shutdown. 

This worrying development comes according to “an agricultural association and sources at two grain cooperatives” who spoke to Reuters about the emerging threat to exports and domestic deliveries.

As Reuters explains, the timing of the looming strike is making the situation even worse. “With farmers starting to harvest autumn crops that are shipped to meat and biofuels producers, the shipping disruptions could add to already high inflation,” something that was already shown to be increasing in this week’s inflation reports measuring August costs. “Farmers also plan to add fertilizer to fields after the harvest, and shipments of fertilizer are being delayed,” another ripple effect that would make even a short rail shutdown a significant crisis with lasting impacts. 

The article quotes Reuters:

Wayne-Sanderson Farms, a Georgia-based chicken company owned by Cargill Inc and Continental Grain, is working with local corn producers to augment feed supplies if needed during rail disruptions, spokesman Frank Singleton said.

[…]

Some rail customers that feed livestock do not have enough soymeal, said Fisher, of the National Grain and Feed Association. In a worst case scenario, that could force some producers to cull animals.

Railroads also ship hexane, a chemical solvent that crushers use to extract oil from soybeans, said Mike Steenhoek, executive director of Soy Transportation Coalition.

“Any slowdown or stoppage of rail service – especially on the eve of harvest – would significantly impact farmers’ ability to meet customer demand – both domestically and internationally,” Steenhoek said.

The article concludes:

The White House does not have a briefing scheduled on Wednesday, but Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tried to assuage concerns about a strike on Tuesday — but failed to explain how, after months of direct involvement by the Biden administration in the labor dispute, had only a “contingency plan” to shift rail freight to planes, boats, and trucks. 

This is another attack (planned or unplanned) on America’s food supply. If the strike happens, it might be very difficult for Americans to feed their families this winter. This is NOT normal. We need people in charge in Washington who will keep Americans fed and keep the trains running. Obviously the current crop is not capable of doing that.

Have you read about a looming rail strike anywhere in the mainstream media?