Could a rail strike impact Pennsylvania?
By: KDKA-TV's Seth Kaplan
HARRISBURG, Pa. (KDKA) — One month from Monday, rank-and-file railroad workers will finish voting on whether to ratify their contracts.
If they vote "no," a strike could happen at the biggest railroads. What about the others?
"Pennsylvania has two large railroads," said Dan Cupper, a railroad historian and retired engineer. "Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation."
"In the Pittsburgh area, you have the Buffalo and Pittsburgh and the Allegheny Valley Railroad that are regionals, that are dependent on Norfolk Southern and CSX. In the Philadelphia area, you have railroads like the Pennsylvania Northeastern and SMS lines in New Jersey."
Compared to CSX or Norfolk Southern, those shortlines are small businesses. How small?
"I am vice president here at the M&H Railroad," said Michael Graycar of Middletown & Hummelstown Railroad.
He is one of two full-time employees at the railroad.
"I oversee just about everything here: the mechanic, fabricator, welder," he added.
No union here. Still.
"Norfolk Southern is who we mainly deal with. They have to cross Amtrak to get to us. And then we bring cars in for our customers down the road," Graycar said. "Unfortunately, if they shut down, then we're going to be in trouble."
Still a big if. Workers might ratify the tentative agreements, with a big impact either way for the workers, the big railroads, the little ones and the rest of us.
"FedEx, UPS shipments, many of them come a long distance by rail before they get to the UPS truck," Cupper said.