HOTRAIL PRODUCTIONS: AMTRAK SUSPENDS ALL LONG-DISTANCE SERVICE PENDING STRIKE

Rail labor roundup: Amtrak suspends all long-distance trains as of Thursday (second update)
By  | September 14, 2022    

Two unions ratify contract deals; other union members begin receiving strike instructions; CP says it will operate normally

Cars  line wait to be checked in at Amtrak’s Sanford, Fla., Auto Train  terminal on Feb. 11, 2020. All Amtrak long-distance trains will be  halted as of Thursday.   Bob JohnstonAmtrak has announced it will halt operation of its remaining  long-distance trains as of Thursday in anticipation of a possible  freight rail work stoppage which could begin Friday morning.
In other news as of midafternoon Wednesday, members of the  Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have begun receiving  instructions on what to do in case of a strike; Canadian Pacific says it  intends to continue to operate; and White House press secretary Karine  Jean-Pierre said earlier today that a rail shutdown is “an unacceptable  outcome for our economy” but said the two sides, not Congress, should  settle their labor dispute.
Four more long-distance Amtrak trains suspended
Amtrak had previously suspended the majority of its long-distance  trains on Tuesday and Wednesday, leaving just four to be suspended as of  Thursday: the Lorton, Va.-Sanford, Fla., Auto Train, the Chicago-Washington Capitol Limited, the New York-Washington-Cincinnati-Chicago Cardinal, and the southern portion of Palmetto service, between Washington and Savannah, Ga.
Amtrak service will continue on the Northeast Corridor and its  related branches to Albany, N.Y.; Harrisburg, Pa., and Springfield,  Mass., with a full Acela schedule and most Northeast Regional trains.  Most regional corridor services elsewhere will be suspended as of  Friday.
In an update at 7 p.m. EDT, Amtrak said some Thursday evening trains  would be cancelled on state-supported services including Illinois and  Michigan services, the Heartland Flyer and Piedmont, Springfield service, Virginia service, and the three California regional services: the Capitol Corridor, Pacific Surfliner, and San Joaquin. The latter services had already spelled out some details earlier [see “More Amtrak services to be suspended,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 14, 2022]. Amtrak directed passengers to its website for more details.
Letter to BLET members outlines strike instructions
A letter obtained by Trains News Wire for members of one  BLET local instructs members on how, when, and where to go to picket if a  strike is called and passes along information from the union’s national  leadership. While it notes a strike can begin at 12:01 a.m., it says no  strike has yet been called.
In the event of a strike, it says members are expected to be on  picket lines in 12-hour shifts and must be on the picket line to receive  any strike benefits from the union. Those who cross a picket line will  face charges and could be expelled from the union, the letter warns,  while emphasizing that violence and destruction of property will not be  tolerated. It also offers instructions for those who may be at work when  the strike begins.
CP plans to ‘fully operate’ in event of work stoppage
In an advisory sent to customers Tuesday, Canadian Pacific — which is  not part of the National Carriors’ Conference Committee and not part of  the current labor negotiations — told customers it will “continue to  operate fully in Canada as well as the U.S., subject only to any  applicable embargo imposed by any of the U.S. railroads.”
Those embargoes “may impact CP’s ability to move equipment from some  locations on our North American network. That includes CP originating  traffic that’s interchanged to involved or affected railroads, traffic  reliant on haulage handling or running rights agreements through the  United States by or on an involved or affected railroad, and/or traffic  reliant on reciprocal switch service by an involved or affected  railroad. For intermodal customers, US destined import traffic from the  Port of Montreal and Port Saint John may be impacted.”
The railroad advises customers to monitor embargoes through the Association of American Railroads website.
Currently, all other Class I railroads in the U.S. have only embargoed hazardous or security-sensitive shipments.
Two unions ratify contracts with Class I railroads
In a major sign of progress, two unions have ratified the tentative  contract agreements they had reached with the Class I railroads.
The National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), which represents  the freight railroads in national collective bargaining, said on  Wednesday afternoon that the Transportation Communications Union/IAM  (TCU/IAM) and the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen (BRC) backed the  contract. Together, they represent more than 11,000 rail workers.
The ratified agreements implement the Aug. 16 recommendations of the  Presidential Emergency Board, including a 24% compounded wage increase  during the five-year period from 2020 through 2024 — with a 14.% wage  increase effective immediately — and five annual $1,000 lump sum  payments.
These are the first two agreements to be ratified in the national  bargaining round. Ratification votes with other unions that have reached  tentative agreements are pending, and the railroads continue to  negotiate with unions that have not yet reached tentative agreements.
Unions and railroads, not Congress, should settle dispute, press secretary says
In comments Wednesday morning aboard Air Force One, with President  Joe Biden en route to an appearance in Detroit, the president’s press  secretary confirmed that Labor Secretary Marty Walsh was meeting with  unions and railroads today. And while Jean-Pierre said a work stoppage  was unacceptable, she also said the “onus of resolving differences is on  the parties themselves.
“Our continued message … stays the same, which is that they need to  continue to negotiate at the table and in good faith,” Jean-Pierre told  reporters.
“This is an issue that can and should be worked out between the rail  companies and the unions, not by Congress. … They have been able to come  together and negotiate in the past. And that’s what we’re expecting  this time around as well.”