NCC joined over 320 local, state, and federal trade associations in urging the Biden administration to continue working with a collection of railroad unions and the railroad operators on an agreement to prevent a possible strike.
“With your help, from establishing the Presidential Emergency Board to involvement in the direct negotiations among the parties, the tentative agreement was reached on September 15,” the letter to President Biden said. “We have seen six of the twelve unions ratify the agreement to date. Unfortunately, we have seen two unions reject the agreement and there are concerns that others may follow. If that were to be the case, we could witness a strike that would shut down the entire freight rail system. Because the White House played such a central role in the process, we believe it can be helpful in continuing to move the process forward in a positive direction. Otherwise, Congress will be called upon to act.”
“We continue to urge that the contracts be ratified to provide stability and predictability to the system,” the letter concluded. “Your involvement can only help make that happen and ensure there is no interruption to rail service.”
The full letter can be found here.
“Our members rely on about 27 million bushels of corn and 11 million bushels of soybean meal every week to feed their chickens. Much of that is moved by rail,” NCC President Mike Brown said of the tentative agreement. “Any disruption of service could negatively impact the welfare of the birds, and ultimately impact production at a time when Americans are already dealing with record food inflation. We are pleased to see a tentative deal has been reached and look forward to its swift approval.”
