Shortly after Norfolk Southern’s 32N train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, railroad workers began speaking up about the connection between the disaster and the problems that came to a head late last year, when twelve rail unions nearly went on strike. As one Norfolk Southern employee told Motherboard, these kinds of catastrophes “are going to keep happening if regulators continue to allow this business model to ravage our nation’s freight rail system in the pursuit of profit.” Back in 2022, railworkers were stymied by Joe Biden and Congress, who imposed a weak agreement that failed to address the workers’ key complaints, but the issues that drove them to the brink of a strike remain unresolved.

Those sticking points concern the consequences of precision scheduled railroading (PSR), which includes cost-cutting measures and a just-in-time approach that translates to more train cars, heavier loads, and fewer workers. Rail carriers have slashed their workforce recently: collectively, Class I carriers reduced theirs by almost one-third over the past six years. This has made them the darlings of Wall Street as increased operating ratios lead to more money for shareholders.

It is such lean staffing, and the overwork and lack of control over scheduling that have followed, which pushed railworkers toward striking last year. Rail carriers’ downsizing of their workforce means that those who remain are tied to work at almost all times: no sick days, unpredictable schedules, overwork. It all adds up not only to misery, but to a greater potential for mistakes in an industry where accidents can cost lives.