Times like this that I'm happy I added the HUGE qualifier "guess."

Good for them. I hope they strike, and I hope every single one of their fellow unions honor it. The pendulum away from private sector labor has swung WAY too far one direction, time for some claw back.

I believe Congress is out of session for the rest of the year; the new Congress will be seated in January. The outgoing Congress might be able to have an emergency session to impose a contract on the rail workers (?). With the switch of party control in Congress, I can't imagine why they'd want to do anything except let this land in the lap of the other team.

All in all, it looks like the rail unions couldn't have asked for better timing for maximum leverage.