Amtrak, union deal averts Penn Station shutdown

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/transportation/ny-lilirr195544097jan19,0,5686857.story

BY JOHN VALENTI.john.valenti@newsday.com; Staff writer Matthew Chayes contributed to this story.
January 19, 2008

Officials praised the resolution of a labor dispute between Amtrak and its workers that could have shut down Penn Station later this month and forced almost 100,000 Long Island Rail Road customers to scramble for commuting alternatives.

The agreement between Amtrak and nine labor unions was confirmed in an announcement from Amtrak released Friday morning.

The unions were scheduled to go on strike Jan. 30.

"By reaching these tentative agreements, we have averted a possible strike that could have had a crippling effect on the lives of millions of Americans," Amtrak president and chief executive Alex Kummant said in a statement Friday.

New York Sen. Charles Schumer also expressed relief over the news, saying: "This is a fair and balanced settlement between Amtrak and its workers. It's good that the two sides were able to come together in time to save riders from what would have been a crippling shutdown of our rail system."

Details of the tentative pact have not been released.

FULL story at link.