Courtesy of NAA:

Labor agreement negotiations between railroad companies and their workers are breaking down again. A rail labor strike would have severe consequences for our nation’s economy, farmers, and consumers.

It is imperative that Congress and the President take immediate action to avoid a freight railroad labor strike and the catastrophic damage it would cause. The consequences of a freight rail work stoppage would be far-reaching, impacting U.S. agricultural production, supply chains, and consumer prices, and could cost $2 billion a day in lost output.

Congress and the President have the authority to intervene and prevent a rail labor strike. Tell them to act promptly to prevent harm to communities and families across our nation.

To follow is text to use for a call, email or letter.  To find your House member click here.  To find your Senator click here. To email President Biden, click here.

Dear [Representative NAME / Senator NAME / President Biden]:

As a farmer and constituent of yours, I am writing to ask that you be prepared to take immediate action to avoid a freight railroad labor strike. The railroads are a vital component of the grain (corn, soybean, wheat) transportation system and the economy as a whole. Any shutdown of the railroads, even for a few hours, will cause catastrophic damage to the U.S. economy to the tune of $2 billion per day. A shutdown would have far-reaching impacts to U.S. food and agricultural production, supply chains, and already inflated consumer prices.

Should rail labor negotiations fail, it is vital that you take prompt action to prevent a freight rail stoppage of any length.

Thanks to the distance between grain production and end-user consumption, grain growers are uniquely reliant on an efficient, reliable, and affordable rail transportation network. As we move into the holiday seasons, a rail strike would have devastating impacts on food and consumer prices that could take weeks or months to correct. Further, as the world continues to face food insecurity in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a rail stoppage would have global impacts if the U.S. can’t deliver agricultural products to export markets in a timely manner.

It is absolutely imperative that a rail strike is prevented, and we request Congress to implement the framework negotiated by the Biden Administration’s arbitrators and now agreed to by the majority of unions. We appreciate your attention to this issue and hope you will be prepared to act if the situation arises.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Farm Name]
[Town, State]

The NAA is a member of the Agricultural Transportation Working Group and are meeting virtually with Congressional Offices. Please support this effort by calling, emailing or writing Congress.