On September 22 America’s largest rail unions announced that they would be prepared to go on strike if their demands for better working conditions were not met. The rail unions, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes union, or BMWE for short, The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, or IAM, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, or BLET and SMART-Transportation Division represent a near majority of rail workers in America and a potential strike by these locomotive superpowers could turn out deadly for the average American citizen. The union’s proposed strike would halt America’s supply chain which is still partially crippled by the effects of the pandemic. America’s railway companies already announced that they would stop the transportation of hazardous materials in preparation for a potential strike. This announcement raised the alarm of experts who claimed that the halt of these materials could have catastrophic effects on the well-being of our country one such alarm came from The American Petroleum Institute, which said that the restrictions on hazardous materials that began this week ”could have profound impacts on the ability of our industry to deliver critical energy supplies.” However our nation’s power is not the only thing at risk, our water could also disappear. One material that is not being delivered due to the strike is chlorine. Chlorine is a chemical that is essential to the treatment of water and without a continuous supply of chlorine our nation’s water treatment plans become inoperational in less than a week. The White House released a statement regarding the strike saying that “We have made crystal clear to the interested parties the harm that American families, businesses, and communities would experience if they were not to reach a resolution,” the White House also announced that they would be dispatching Labor Secretary Marty Walsh to meet with union leaders. The unions themselves have proven to be disorganized and rampant infighting among themselves has raised questions about whether negotiations are even viable. The unions are however all striking over the proximity of the same issues. Union officials are demanding increased pay rates as well as a more complete insurance plan which would cover more fields such as hearing loss autism, mental health, and substance abuse.  Union officials are also demanding more paid days off and compensation for travel. In the rail industry workers are often required to drive hundreds of miles using their own personal vehicles for work as well as find their own accommodation for sleeping while working. Under the union’s new terms rail companies would be required to provide logging to workers while they are away from home and reimburse workers for every mile driven for work purposes at the standard IRS rate of 62.5 cents per mile as well as logging reimbursement of up to $98 per night. On September 11th the unions announced that they would agree to a deal that would guarantee them a majority of their demands. Still, on October 10th the unions announced that they would not accept the deal reached by White House executives. It is yet to be seen if the strikes will cripple our country, who can say. Regardless of what happens stay safe and stockpile chlorine.