400 groups urge U.S. lawmakers to take ‘immediate steps’ to block potential rail strike

WASHINGTON, Nov 28 (Reuters) – More than 400 groups on Monday called on Congress to intervene in an ongoing railroad labor standoff that threatens to idle shipments of food and fuel and strand rail travelers while inflicting billions of dollars of economic damage.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers, National Retail Federation, American Petroleum Institute, National Restaurant Association, American Trucking Associations, American Farm Bureau Federation and other groups warned impacts of a potential strike could be felt as soon as Dec. 5.

Workers in four unions have rejected a tentative contract deal announced in September, while eight approved it.

“The risks to our nation’s economy and communities simply make a national rail strike unacceptable,” says the letter to congressional leaders seen by Reuters. “Therefore, absent a voluntary agreement, we call on you to take immediate steps to prevent a national rail strike and the certain economic destruction that would follow.”

Continued…

Approved ~ MJM