Tentative deal keeps trains rolling after all-night talks

WASHINGTON－US President Joe Biden announced a tentative deal on Thursday to avoid a crippling strike by railway unions following all-night talks as the clock ran down on threats to disrupt US supply chains in the run-up to congressional midterm elections.

Biden, who was personally calling into the negotiations as late as 9 pm on Wednesday, issued a predawn statement announcing the preliminary resolution, which allows for a 24 percent wage increase between 2020 and 2024, including an immediate payout.

The deal came as a relief after worries that a Friday deadline would trigger nationwide stoppages, snarling critical supplies to an economy in the midst of a jittery recovery from the pandemic-era shutdown.