Amtrak Forestalls Strike

Amtrak, facing a possible strike that could have stranded hundreds of thousands of commuters, reached a preliminary deal on Friday that apparently heavily favors the railroad's nine unions, who have worked for years without a contract. The tentative contract includes back pay totaling more than three times what Amtrak was offering and none of the concessions on work rules that Amtrak had been seeking. While the month's end strike was considered unlikely, the mere prospect of it had regional rail services across the Eastern Seaboard scrambling in recent days to put backup plans in place.