The membership of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to authorize a strike if progress on a new labor contract isn’t made by the end of the week.
The union is one of 13 rail worker unions negotiating a national labor contract after the previous contract expired in 2019.
The vote comes days before a federally mandated “cooling off period” between the unions and rail carriers is set to expire, after the two sides failed in June to reach an agreement before the National Mediation Board.
Railroad union members vote 99.5% to authorize a July 18 nationwide strike