Amtrak’s Texas Eagle gets set to pull out of San Antonio. The Texas Eagle is one of several long-distance routes Amtrak is suspending ahead of a looming rail strike.SAN ANTONIO — Business and government officials are bracing for the
at the end of this week while talks carry on between the largest U.S. freight railroads and their unions. Here’s what you need to know:Thirteen unions are involved in negotiations with the railroad companies, with pay the biggest issue. The unions are also trying to improve working conditions. Eleven have reached a tentative agreement, but the largest two unions have not. Those two represent 57,000 workers covered under railroad union contracts.
Farmers are worried a strike would mean grain storage bins run out of room fast if they can’t send farm products on out rail.The commission no longer has any jurisdiction or authority over railroads in Texas, a duty that was transferred to other agencies. The RRC now regulates the state’s energy industry. The last of the state commission’s rail functions were transferred to the Texas Department of Transportation in 2005.