--- title: We narrowly avoided a rail strike. Now what? - The Hustle description: The economy was spared — but what about the rail workers? image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/553146489-HS-News-Brief_2022-12-06T003619.980Z.webp --- # We narrowly avoided a rail strike. Now what? ![Jacob Cohen](https://thehustle.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_5670-1-modified-768x768.png?width=48&height=48&name=IMG_5670-1-modified-768x768.png) [Jacob Cohen](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/jacob-cohen) [Jacob Cohen Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/ImJacobCohen) Published: December 06, 2022 Updated: October 11, 2023 On Friday, President Biden signed a bill narrowly preventing a rail worker strike. ![We narrowly avoided a rail strike. Now what?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/553146489-HS-News-Brief_2022-12-06T003619.980Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=553146489-HS-News-Brief_2022-12-06T003619.980Z.webp) The US economy may be breathing a sigh of relief — such a strike could cost the country [$2B+](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/08/deadline-for-rail-strike-which-could-cost-2-billion-a-day-nears.html) a day — but many rail workers aren’t exactly pleased with the outcome. **For context,** the rail industry operates under [a system](https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/11/rail-strike-why-the-railroads-wont-give-in-on-paid-leave-psr-precision-scheduled-railroading.html) known as “precision-scheduled railroading” — PSR, for short. One aspect of PSR is driving efficiencies by transporting cargo on fewer but longer trains, which requires fewer workers. - In practice, this system leaves little to no room for things like flexible schedules and paid sick leave. That’s especially true for an industry that’s [shed 29%](https://www.stb.gov/news-communications/latest-news/pr-22-21/) of its workforce since 2016, and has seen embargoes skyrocket as a result. The new deal was able to secure workers raises, among some other benefits, but not the paid sick leave workers were hoping for. “That fight isn’t over,” Biden [said](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/02/biden-signs-bill-averting-rail-worker-strike-despite-lack-of-paid-sick-days.html). **For more** on how a rail strike would impact the economy, read our [previous coverage](https://thehustle.co/09132022-railroad-strike/). 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