Deal that prevented rail strike still needs worker support

By JOSH FUNK
AP Business Writer

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A last-minute deal prevented a railroad strike for now, but many rail workers remain unhappy with working conditions. Handfuls of workers gathered outside railyards across the country Wednesday in pickets organized by a newly formed workers group separate from the 12 unions that negotiated the deals last week with the major U.S. freight railroads. The protesters expressed dissatisfaction with the deals, just as the unions are trying to explain the potential benefits they negotiated to their roughly 115,000 members ahead of contract votes. Workers’ concerns about time off and demanding attendance policies at the railroads took center stage in the negotiations.