Posts tagged railway
Opinion: How a century-old railway law sows modern transit havoc
June 4, 2026 // As private commuter rail operations went bust over time and became absorbed by state agencies such as New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, they still mostly remained under RLA jurisdiction. This peculiarity has proven disastrous. Ordinary economic constraints no longer apply to union negotiations. The need to remain profitable is gone, and with it the danger that management would order a lockout in the middle of a contract dispute. But the right to strike has remained. It gives the unions license to make unreasonable demands, knowing that the people on the other side of the table could squeeze taxpayers and riders for more money.
As Canada braces for rail stoppage, truckers scramble to meet demand
August 20, 2024 // Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City plan to halt operations on Thursday Trucking sector sees increased demand it struggles to meet 85% of U.S.-Canada cross-border road freight handled by Canadian carriers Higher trucking demand leads to rising costs and longer lead times CN and CPKC begin phased network shutdowns
Op-ed: Competition key to determining effects of increased unionization
September 27, 2022 // We often take it for granted that businesses would prefer to bargain individually with workers, rather than collectively through a union. A cynical explanation might be that profit-hungry corporations prioritize greed over worker welfare, but academic research offers some deeper insight. It shows that companies that are unionized experience reductions in product quality and face a higher likelihood of going out of business. Professors Omesh Kini (Georgia State University), Mo Shen (Auburn University), Jaideep Shenoy (University of Connecticut) and Venkat Subramaniam (Tulane University) find that unionized manufacturers experience a higher rate of product recalls than non-unionized companies.
Supply chain concerns grow as deadline for freight rail strike looms
September 15, 2022 // A pair of unions representing 57,000 conductors and engineers say they are willing to strike over quality-of-life issues if they can’t reach a contract deal with rail carriers.
BACKGROUNDER: Potential Railroad Strike
September 14, 2022 // On Friday, September 16, 2022, railroad workers could go on strike. This would effectively shut down the nation’s freight rail system and have spillover effects on commuter rail like Amtrak, which is already canceling long-distance routes. If a strike or lockout occurs, Congress has the ability to intervene and has done so in the past. An economic analysis by the American Association of Railroads using the Federal Railroad Administration’s model found a railroad shutdown could cost our economy $2 billion per day. Similarly, a coalition of agricultural organizations said in a letter to Congress, “Uninterrupted rail service is vital to the American agricultural economy.”
Canada, U.S. shippers brace for possible CP Rail strike, latest supply-chain disruption
March 19, 2022 // Numerous U.S. farm industry groups wrote a joint letter to President Joe Biden this month asking him and the Canadian government to avert a strike.