The 2022 general railroad strike is widely regarded as a low point of national labor relations in recent memory. It was put down by an act of Congress to avoid massive supply chain disruptions at Christmastime.

In contrast, the latest round of negotiations was all but over by the end of last year, and with a built-in wage hike for rail workers of 18.8% over five years and capped or reduced employee contributions for healthcare and other benefits.