• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • SCB YouTube
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Express/Small Shipments
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Supply Chains in Crisis
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Robotics
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • THINK TANK
  • WEBINARS
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Webinar Library
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WHITEPAPERS
Home » U.S. Railroad Workers Prepare for Strike as Rail Companies See Record Profits

U.S. Railroad Workers Prepare for Strike as Rail Companies See Record Profits

RAIL STOCK YARD iStock-Denis Mamin-1333379885.jpg
Photo: iStock.com/Denis Mamin
September 14, 2022
SupplyChainBrain

A “cooling off” period imposed by the Biden administration to help settle the dispute between railroad corporations and 150,000-member-strong labor unions ends on Sept. 16. If no deal is reached, unions are threatening a strike — the first since 1992 — and workers say they will quit an industry already facing staff shortages, reports The Guardian.

A strike could cost the U.S. economy $2bn a day, according to a recently issued Association of American Railroads report.

BNSF and Union Pacific, the two largest railroad corporations in North America, reported record profits in 2021. BNSF is owned by billionaire investor Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate. U.S. railroads have paid out $196bn in stock buybacks and dividends to shareholders since 2010.

But workers argue the industry is in crisis. Between November 2018 and December 2020, the railroad industry lost 40,000 jobs in the U.S., according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The U.S. railroad industry’s workforce dropped from more than 1 million workers in the 1950s to fewer than 150,000 in 2022.

“These railroads are making billions of dollars. In the past, we’ve been well compensated for being on call 24/7, 365 days a year. That’s been eroded over the course of my career in the last two decades to where it’s just not appealing enough to attract people into the workplace,” said Ross Grooters, a locomotive engineer for Union Pacific in Iowa and co-chair of Railroad Workers United.

    RELATED CONTENT

    RELATED VIDEOS

    Rail & Intermodal HR & Labor Management
    • Related Articles

      Most Supply Chains Are Not Ready for Due Diligence Compliance

    SupplyChainBrain

    Scan Global Logistics Acquires ETS Transport & Logistics

    More from this author

    Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter!

    Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

    Popular Stories

    • A RED AND WHITE FRITOS DELIVERY TRUCK IS PARKED IN THE LOADING ZONE OF A PARKING LOT NEXT TO AN ORANGE TRAFFIC CONE.

      Climate Change Threatens a World Without Doritos

      Global Supply Chain Management
    • A CITY SCENE AT NIGHT, WITH MANY LINES OF LIGHT RISING FROM THE GROUND

      Welcome to the World of ‘Ambient’ IoT

      Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • Managing-Supply-Chains-in-the-Face-of-Climate-Disaster.jpg

      Watch: Managing Supply Chains in the Face of Climate Disaster

      Regulation & Compliance
    • A WOMAN STANDS WITH A TABLET COMPUTER IN A WAREHOUSE, SURROUNDED BY SYMBOLS FOR SHIPPING METHODS

      Podcast | Getting the Most Value From Your Supply Chain Planning System

      Technology
    • A LARGE WHITE WALMART TRACTOR TRAILER IS DRIVING ON A FREEWAY BEHIND A PICK-UP TRUCK ONE LANE OVER.

      Walmart Unveils New Sustainability and Waste Reduction Measures

      Supply Chain Planning & Optimization

    Digital Edition

    Scb may 2023 lg

    2023 Supply Chain ESG Guide

    VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

    Case Studies

    • JLL Finds Perfect Warehouse Location, Leading to $15M Grant for Startup

    • Robots Speed Fulfillment to Help Apparel Company Scale for Growth

    • New Revenue for Cloud-Based TMS that Embeds Orderful’s Modern EDI Platform

    • Convenience Store Client Maximizes Profit and Improves Customer Service

    • A Digitally Native Footwear Brand Finds Rapid Fulfillment

    Visit Our Sponsors

    Antuit Zebra Anvyl Brother
    Cleo Data Capture E2open
    Eva Air Enveyo GAINSystems
    Generix Geodis GEP
    GreyOrange Here Holman Logistics
    Infor Inmar Kinaxis
    Locus Robotics Logility LogistiVIEW
    Lucas Systems MCA Connect MPO
    Old Dominion OneRail Overhaul
    PartnerLinQ (Visionet) Port of Virginia Ryder E-commerce by Whiplash
    Saddle Creek Logistics SAP Shyft
    Sourcemap Tecsys TGW Systems
    Verusen Workshop
    • More From SCB
      • Featured Content
      • Video Library
      • Think Tank Blog
      • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
      • Whitepapers
      • On-Demand Webinars
      • Upcoming Webinars
    • Digital Offerings
      • Digital Issue
      • Subscribe
      • Manage Your Subscription
      • Newsletters
    • Resources
      • Events Calendar
      • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
      • Supplier Directory
      • Case Study Showcase
      • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
      • 100 Great Partners Form
    • SCB Corporate
      • Advertise on SCB.COM
      • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Contact Us
      • Data Sharing Opt-Out

    All content copyright ©2023 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

    Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing