Further supply chain disruptions are currently in the making as railroad giant Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) plans to unveil a new attendance incentive program that may cause over 35,000 employees to go on strike as soon as February 1st, 2022. BNSF is asking a federal court to classify the railroad’s dispute with two rail unions over a new company attendance policy as a “minor dispute,” which would inhibit the unions from striking. The unions strongly disagree that this is a “minor dispute”, specifically citing that the attendance program penalizes employees for time taken off for any reason, including leaves for disabilities and pregnancies. BNSF warned that if union members went on strike, it would not only potentially result in immediate, substantial and lasting disruptions to the railroad’s schedules, but it would affect the traffic of its interchange partners as well. “Because of the scope of BNSF’s operations, even a partial or temporary shutdown would have a drastic impact on large segments of the public and the national economy. Thus, any strike… has the potential to interfere with the nationwide transportation in interstate and international commerce,” stated attorneys representing BNSF. To learn more about this potential supply chain disruption, read the article published by Freight Waves by clicking the link below.
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