GRANITE CITY, IL (KMOX) - A Southwest Illinois freight hub is bracing for a potential strike by the nation's railworkers.
Major rail unions say an agreement proposed by federal arbitrators doesn't go far enough to address their concerns about railroads' strict attendance policies, In the face of short staffing and increased workloads. The deadline to reach a deal is Friday.
Dennis Wilmsmeyer is Executive Director of America's Central Port in Granite City. "This is probably coming at the worst possible time. We are starting to see some of the supply chain system getting back to some normalcy and now to throw this into the mix is really going to create havoc again potentially."
Wilmsmeyer says railroads are already slowing freight this week in anticipation of a potential strike. "What they're doing already is kind of sidelining or slowing down transportation in order that they can prepare for a [potential] strike."
He says America's Central Port handles 20,000 rail cars on an annual basis.
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