Congressman Fitzpatrick: Strike of railroad workers will destroy the US economy

A strike by railway workers in the US would be devastating to the US economy, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick told Fox News.

“It will be devastating to our economy, so we will find a solution one way or another,” he reported.

According to Fitzpatrick, Congress intends to prevent the strike from starting and to forcibly intervene in union negotiations with the freight carriers if they cannot reach an agreement.

“We cannot allow the transport system, which accounts for a third of food transport across our country, to go on strike,” the congressman said.

A general strike of 100 000 workers on the US railways could start on 9 December, if all 4 of the 12 unions of railway workers, who have so far rejected the terms of the agreement with the trucking industry, do not reach a compromise in negotiations. According to Anderson Economic Group, the US economy could lose 1 billion dollars in the first week of the strike.

In September, with the participation of US President Joe Biden’s administration, unions reached an interim agreement with major market companies to improve working conditions on the railways. According to the agreement, railway workers will get a 25 per cent wage increase over the next five years, better working conditions and better access to health insurance.

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