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 the largest and only trade association that represents the full supply chain for the railroad system. RSI acts on behalf of the smallest to the largest suppliers to North American freight and passenger railroads. Industry segments include the mechanical, rolling stock, communications and signaling, maintenance of way, and passenger industries. For more information visit www.rsiweb.org, follow RSI on Twitter and LinkedIn