- The unions and the railway companies reached an agreement
To avoid the train strike in the US, and said agreement includes a considerable increase in wages for workers. In SoloDinero we tell you all the details
Railroad labor unions and railroad companies in the United States. They reached a tentative agreement this Thursday (which would include a substantial salary increase) to end, or rather, avoid, the train strike in this country, which is a great relief for the population, since said strike, if it occurs, could have seriously affected the country’s supply chain by making it impossible to move a large number of products (from oil to grains), which are transported by US trains.
According to a statement by the American Association of Railroads (AAR), the agreement would include an increase in wages for rail workers of approximately 24% over a period of five years.
Also, once the agreement is fully ratified, an additional payment of $11,000 dollars on average is proposed, according to the AAR.
Other benefits achieved in the tentative agreement, which must still be voted on by the workers, include an additional day of paid leave and the possibility of attending medical appointments without any type of penalty, as well as the freezing of monthly insurance contributions. of workers’ health, ensuring that such costs do not increase during the next round of contract negotiations. This was reported by The New York Times.
This labor conflict was of such importance that the White House had to intervene directly, since a disruption of the train service in the US would have exacerbated inflation, as well as the businesses of millions of Americans.
What was the origin of the dispute that almost caused a train strike in the US?
According to a report in The New York Times, the two main points of contention between the railway companies and the train workers’ unions were work overload and sick leave.
Apparently, the railway companies did not agree to grant permits so that workers could attend medical appointments or attend to emergency personal matters without incurring a warning or other type of disciplinary action.
Similarly, union representatives said that workers generally received the news that they were going to have longer work shifts without any advance notice.
It should be noted that this negotiation does not include the employees of the Amtrak company, which is working to restore canceled train trips after announcing the interruption of service this Wednesday, September 14.
The US rail system not only transports consumer staples and raw materials, but is an essential part of importing Canadian crude oil and exporting gasoline and diesel to Mexico, so there was the possibility that the train strike will push gasoline prices up.