SMART TD leaders indicate support for rail strike

The SMART Transportation Division (TD) has obtained approval for authorizing a strike against the nation's largest railroads, the union announced yesterday.

If President Biden doesn't appoint a Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) by July 18, the union will take steps to authorize a strike against the Class Is, SMART TD President Jeremy Ferguson said in a letter posted on the SMART TD website. The rail unions and freight carriers are at a standstill over a labor agreement after negotiating for the past two years.

In the letter, Ferguson said that the union's general committees so far have shown unanimous support for a strike if necessary. Final authorization for a strike wouldn't come until after July 18. However, if Biden appoints the PEB, no strike authorization can be issued during the PEB process, Ferguson noted.

"With that being said, preparation for the possibility of a strike is well underway," he wrote.

SMART TD is the second rail union to announce strike preparations. Earlier this week, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen announced its members overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike against the Class Is.