By Jesse Russell

With the possibility of a railway strike looming in February, a Presidential Emergency Board has been created to handle disputes between Amtrak and union representing railway workers. More than 6000 workers are represented by at least seven unions under the banner of the Railway Labor Bargaining Coalition. The dispute between Amtrak and the employees has been ongoing for eight years and with the negotiations out of steam the board was created to help resolve ongoing issues within 30 days.