Railroad strike averted with agreements, extension

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By SAM HANANEL

WASHINGTON (AP) - The nation's freight railroad industry averted a potentially costly strike on Thursday after resolving differences with two of its unions and agreeing to extend talks with a third.

The National Railway Labor Conference, which represents the railroads in bargaining talks, said its negotiators would try to reach an agreement with the final union before Feb. 8.

Without the agreements, the railway unions could have begun striking as early as Tuesday, when a federal "cooling off" period was set to expire. Retailers warned that a rail strike would cost businesses and consumers $2 billion a day and prove especially damaging during the industry's most important shopping season of the year.

The agreements late Thursday with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the American Train Dispatchers Association came just hours after Republican House leaders said they would move to vote Friday on emergency legislation to prevent a work stoppage.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20111202/D9RC35302.html