President of largest rail union predicts congressional intervention after ‘no’ vote

The president of the largest freight rail union is skeptical he’ll be able to reach a new agreement with carriers in time to prevent an economically devastating strike — and predicts Congress will likely soon step in.

“I’m hopeful, but I doubt it’s really in the cards,” SMART Transportation Division President Jeremy Ferguson said in an interview Monday night. “I’ve got a lot of issues that are outstanding; that are reasons why our guys voted it down.”

SMART-TD, which represents nearly 40,000, or 3 in 10, freight rail workers, announced Monday that its members had voted down a tentative agreement with employers out of frustration over time-off, among other things — sending negotiators back to the table after the White House helped unions and rail companies broker compromise in September. Those involved have little more than a week until a cooling-off period, which forbids any kind of work stoppage, expires at midnight on Dec. 4.