This afternoon, December 1st, 2022, the U.S. Senate voted to head off a freight rail strike by imposing the Tentative Agreements that were approved during the Presidential Executive Board negotiations. RSI President Patty Long released the following statement.
“RSI applauds the United States Congress for taking swift action and passing bipartisan legislation to avoid a rail shutdown,” said Long.
The legislation will now head to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature. Earlier this week, RSI sent a letter to all House and Senate Members urging immediate action to avoid a rail shutdown as well as signing onto another letter of more than 400 business groups to Congress yesterday urging action to prevent a strike.
“RSI members manufacture and own more than 70 percent of the rolling stock traveling on the railroads today and provide critical products to Class I and short line freight railroads, shippers, Amtrak, and transit authorities nationwide,” added Long. “A rail strike would have exacerbated an already fragile supply chain at a time when the industry is already struggling with hyper-inflation. This legislation prevents economic harm that would impact businesses and workers alike.”
About the Railway Supply Institute (RSI)
The Railway Supply Institute (RSI) is dedicated to advancing safety, innovation, technology, and sustainability within the freight and passenger railway supplier industry, both in North America and global markets. As the voice of the industry, RSI strategically engages in critical and urgent industry matters by leveraging the technical expertise of our members to advocate in the legislative and regulatory arenas, foster education, host impactful events, and facilitate networking opportunities. For more information visit www.rsiweb.org, follow RSI on Twitter and LinkedIn.