The rail deal has been set—and now the consumer will pay through the nose for the union extorted contract. The workers will get a 24% raise and in total an $11,000 bonus. That will be added on to the already prices for goods and services. Biden paid back his union supporters with YOUR money.
“In a statement released Thursday, Biden said the agreement is “an important win for our economy and the American people. It is a win for tens of thousands of rail workers who worked tirelessly through the pandemic to ensure that America’s families and communities got deliveries of what have kept us going during these difficult years.”
Despite the averted strike, Seroka said backlogs and bottlenecks remain on the national freight network. There are six times as many boxes moving via rail at the Port of Los Angeles now compared to February. Rail cargo is waiting more than seven days on average to ship, nearly four times longer than in February.”
As usual the incoherent Biden got it wrong—it is a win for inflation and extortion—the Democrat way.
Port officials praise tentative rail labor deal, but say challenges remain
City News Service ,Long Beach Post, 9/16/22
Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka called the tentative rail labor agreement reached today “great news” that would avert significant disruption to the U.S. economy, but noted that challenges remain at the port and nationwide with rail shipments.
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A disruption to rail service during the peak shipping season would have been disastrous to the nation’s supply chain, Mario Cordero, executive director of the Port of Long Beach, said in a statement.
“The Port of Long Beach welcomes the stability this contract agreement provides during a time when the prompt, reliable delivery of goods has become a consumer expectation,” Cordero said.
President Joe Biden announced the tentative deal Thursday morning, averting a potential strike that would have affected train commuters and supply chains throughout Southern California and the nation.
Metrolink and Amtrak were bracing for potential large-scale disruptions in service because of the possible strike, which had been set to begin at midnight Friday. As of Thursday, Metrolink services will operate as scheduled, and Amtrak was working to restore services it previously canceled in anticipation of the work stoppage.
In a statement released Thursday, Biden said the agreement is “an important win for our economy and the American people. It is a win for tens of thousands of rail workers who worked tirelessly through the pandemic to ensure that America’s families and communities got deliveries of what have kept us going during these difficult years.”
Despite the averted strike, Seroka said backlogs and bottlenecks remain on the national freight network. There are six times as many boxes moving via rail at the Port of Los Angeles now compared to February. Rail cargo is waiting more than seven days on average to ship, nearly four times longer than in February.
There are 28,000 containers waiting for trains, well above the 9,000 units that Seroka would like to see. Of those containers, 16,000 are waiting longer than nine days.
“Under normal conditions, that number should be zero,” Seroka said. “So there’s still much more work for all of us to do.”
Seroka said cargo owners need to pick up their boxes faster.
“With that, we can load cargo into these trains and get them out of Southern California much quicker,” Seroka said.
Several unions representing tens of thousands of rail workers had been at an impasse with railroad companies, seeking more predictable schedules and work conditions. Of the 12 unions, nine had agreed to tentative deals as of Wednesday while the others remained at the bargaining table.
Metrolink and Amtrak were not directly involved in the negotiations, but a strike would have had an impact on service.
Metrolink was preparing to cancel some or all trains in Orange, Ventura and Riverside counties beginning at 8 p.m. Thursday. Ventura CountyLine service would have operated only between Los Angeles and Moorpark, and Metrolink would have offered alternate transportation beyond Moorpark.
Amtrak announced that it had been preparing to cancel long-distance trains beginning Thursday, including routes beginning in Chicago, Seattle andNew Orleans with a final destination in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, the Port of Los Angeles reported Thursday that cargo numbers eased in August. Last month saw a total cargo volume of 805,672 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) move through the port, about 15% lower than lastAugust and 9% below the five-year monthly average. The port received 404,313 imports, 17% lower than last August. Exports were roughly flat compared to lastAugust at 100,484.
Even with projected softer volume in the second half of 2022, the port is still on track to have the second busiest year in its history, according to Seroka.
