Rail-Strike Threat Squeezes Biden Between Unions, Economic Peril

The Biden administration is pressuring labor unions and freight-rail operators to agree on a new contract before a Friday deadline to avert a strike that risks disrupting the US economy and undermining Democrats’ midterm election prospects.

President Joe Biden has been briefed on the matter and is closely tracking the work of Cabinet officials and economic advisers -- which has included multiple meetings of the National Economic Council, a White House official said Monday.

Underscoring how high the stakes are for Biden, the official said the administration has made clear to the negotiators that a shutdown of the freight-rail system ...