Iowa retailers, agricultural groups and cities expressed relief Wednesday as the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would block a nationwide rail freight stoppage. The U.S. Senate is expected to vote next week. But union representing about 700 Iowa railroad workers says they need more sick days.
American consumers and nearly every industry will be affected if freight trains grind to a halt next month.
Strike could come early next month
City also looking into micro transit within Marion
The company is focusing on driver retention and mentoring newly-hired drivers with higher wages, flexibility
Kirkwood is partnering with The Eastern Iowa Airport to launch a Aviation Maintenance Technology program in fall 2023 to address an area of need in the workforce. About $1 million in federal and private funds will support the renovation of an aircraft hangar into a classroom.
Train shipments of grain, fertilizer, lumber, produce and fuel will not come to a screeching halt on Friday, as a strike that could have idled freight and passenger trains across the state and country seems to have been averted -- for now.
Members of one union rejected a tentative deal with the largest U.S. freight railroads Wednesday, while two ratified agreements and three others remained at the bargaining table just days ahead of a strike deadline, threatening to intensify snarls in the nation's supply chain that have contributed to rising prices.
Little sign of progress has been seen ahead of a massive potential walkout beginning this Friday, after freight railroads and labor unions that represent more than 90,000 workers have held talks to try to avoid a strike that could cost the U.S. economy more than $2 billion a day.
Coralville-based Heartland Express has purchased a Joplin, Mo., truckload and logistics company in a deal valued at $525 million.
By adding railroad crossing gates and flashing lights, Cedar Rapids may apply to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration for a quiet zone designation that reduces the use of train whistles by up to 40 percent. The project has been delayed by COVID-19 and material shortages.
While not a silver bullet, Eastern Iowa airport officials say raising the retirement age will help airlines contend with a pilot shortage that have caused them to cut flights.
Some 1,191 exhibitors from around the globe are displaying their newest developments at the Farnborough International Airshow, which will run through Friday.
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