The US rail strike planned for Saturday has been called off. The unions, representing 60,000 workers, and the major railway companies, including Union Pacific, Berkshire Hathaway’s Bnsf, Csx and Norfolk Southern, have reached a tentative agreement after ten hours of negotiations.
The settlement finally puts an end to the threat of an imminent railway shutdown that would have severely impacted US ports and the goods traffic flows.
“An important win for our economy and for the American people,” said US President Joe Biden. Railroad workers will get better pay, better working conditions, and greater peace of mind regarding hard-won health care costs.
The unions said that the settlement includes a 24% pay rise over five years plus lump-sum bonus payments totaling $5,000. Workers will also get paid medical leave.
Translation by Giles Foster
