The tentative agreement would avert the potentially devastating looming strike that had been set to begin Friday.. The Association of American Railroads estimated a service disruption would cost the U.S. economy $2 billion daily.
"I especially want to thank Secretary Walsh for his tireless, around-the-clock efforts that delivered a win for the hard-working people of the US rail industry: as a result, we will keep Americans on the job in all the industries in this country that are touched by this vital industry," Biden said. However, railroad workers continued to push for more quality-of-life improvements, including improved scheduling and more paid time off.