Two labor unions representing 57,000 engineers and conductors, or roughly half of all U.S. rail workers, are seeking a better work contract. To this point, negotiations with rail operators have failed.

In July, Joe Biden established a presidential emergency board to help resolve the labor dispute between Class I rail carriers and their unionized workforce. The executive order triggered a 60-day “cooling off” period intended to keep the parties working toward a negotiated settlement. That cooling off period ends 9/15 at midnight.

The impact of a rail strike would be felt in supply chains and general rail travel nationwide. Several railroads have already begun to wind down services in advance of 9/16, including CSX, BNSF, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific.

Amtrak

While Amtrak owns most of the tracks used along the DC-Boston corridor (the nation’s busiest), they use freight rail lines for longer runs. As a result, Amtrak has canceled all long-distance trains nationwide starting Thursday.