On December 1 Congress passed legislation to avert a rail strike which was signed by President Biden on December 2.
General Links
National Railway Labor Conference – Bargaining Status FAQ
National Railway Labor Conference – News About the Latest Bargaining Round
Association of American Railroads – Freight Rail & Collective Bargaining
EPA Updates – Current Status and Potential Impact on Water and Wastewater System Supply Chains
List of all railroads participating in the current national bargaining represented by the National Carriers’ Conference Committee.
Service Alert Links for Major Freight Rail Lines (Class 1)
Association of American Railroads Map of Freight Rail Network
Primary Ones in California
5 Other Major Carriers
Canadian Pacific (Soo Line Corporation)
Kansas City Southern Railway Co.
Norfolk Southern Combined Railroad Subsidiaries
Amtrak, while not a freight rail, uses freight rails for its long distance routes.
News / Home Pages for the Coalitions / Unions
Coalitions / Unions Voting Not to Ratify
Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (BMWED-IBT)
Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS)
International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Blacksmiths, Iron Ship Builders, Forgers and Helpers (IBB)
International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers – Transportation Division (SMART-TD)
Coalitions / Unions That Ratified
American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA)
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen (BLET)
Brotherhood Railway Carmen (BRC)
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM)
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
National Conference of Firemen and Oilers (NCFO)
International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers – Mechanical Division (SMART-M)
International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers – Transportation Division – Yardmasters (SMART-TD (Yardmasters))
Transportation Communications International Union (TCU)
The National Railway Labor Conference has created a one pager providing a breakdown of number of employees and percent of total for each of the unions / coalitions.
Freight Rail Data
Surface Transportation Board
The Surface Transportation Board is an independent federal agency that is charged with the economic regulation of various modes of surface transportation, primarily freight rail.
Rail Service Data – This weekly data, provided by the Class 1 Rail Companies, contains data on rail service performance. It is presented as a downloaded excel file. Information can be viewed either as a combined file for all Class 1 railroads or individually.
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis created and maintains the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) online database consisting of hundreds of thousands of economic data time series from scores of national, international, public, and private sources.
Rail Freight Carloads (Seasonally Adjusted) – Monthly FRED Data
Rail Freight Carloads (Not Seasonally Adjusted) – Monthly FRED Data
Rail Freight Intermodal Traffic (Seasonally Adjusted) – Monthly FRED Data
Rail Freight Intermodal Traffic (Not Seasonally Adjusted) – Monthly FRED Data
Association of American Railroads
Freight Rail Data – interactive charts providing an overview of weekly, monthly and annual information on freight rail traffic.
Diesel Stocks
The US Energy Information Administration publishes a Week in Petroleum Report. The report comes out every Wednesday. Diesel falls under the distillate fuel oils category. California is in the PADD 5 Region.
There is also a Weekly Petroleum Status Report that provides links to charts and graphs. Figure 3 provides charts on current distillate fuel stocks by region.
Additional Reference Resources
Rail Labor Dispute Could Result in Work Stoppages
Congressional Research Service | November 2022
This short piece provides and overview of Rail Labor Law, Negotiation Issues, and Options for Legislative Action.
The Railway Labor Act and Congressional Action
Congressional Research Service | November 2022
This Sidebar provides background on the RLA and legislative action in resolving past disputes, examines the current dispute, and discusses considerations for Congress.
The Economic Impact of Railroad Shutdown
Association of American Railroads | September 2022
Using historical analysis from the Federal Railroad Administration, AAR’s Policy and Economics team found that lost economic output due to a nationwide rail shutdown could be more than $2 billion every day.
Association of American Railroads Fact Sheets
Freight Railroads: A 24/7 Link in the Supply Chain (May 2022)
Improving Rail Service During Supply Chain Disruptions ((May 2022)
Understanding Intercity Passenger, Commuter & Freight Railroads (May 2022):
What Railroads Haul: Food & Farm Products Fact Sheet (May 2022)
What Railroads Haul: Chemicals Fact Sheet (May 2022)
What Railroads Haul: Coal Fact Sheet (May 2022)
What Railroads Haul: Construction Material Fact Sheet (May 2022)
What Railroads Haul: Crude Oil Fact Sheet (May 2022)
What Railroads Haul: Ethanol Fact Sheet (May 2022)
What Railroads Haul: Wood & paper Products Fact Sheet (May 2022)
The National Impact of a Los Angeles and Long Beach Port Stoppage
Report Prepared for the National Association of Manufacturers | June 2022
This analysis uses the Inforum LIFT economic model to quantify the impacts of a 15-day closure at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports. Specifically, it estimates how such a closure would impact U.S employment, output, and income.
