It took three years for freight railroads and unions to agree on their last labor deal, which was reached in late 2022 only after Congress and the White House stepped in to block a national strike. CSX Chief Executive Joe Hinrichs broke from his peers in 2024 to avert another dragged out negotiation—during which workers went years without raises and bosses were reprimanded by regulators about poor service. Rather than wait for national collective bargaining sessions, CSX started in early 2024 to negotiate directly with the various unions that represent its workers.