Members of a union that primarily represents freight rail conductors have narrowly voted down a tentative labor contract, their union said Monday.If the two sides cannot reach another tentative agreement by early December, the rail workers could strike — an outcome that industry officials have estimated could cost the economy more than $2 billion per day.Roughly 51 percent of the voting members of the union, SMART Transportation Division, rejected the agreement. Members of a second large union, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, which primarily represents engineers, voted to approve the agreement, with 53.5 percent in favor.“SMART-TD members with their votes have spoken, it’s now back to the bargaining table for our operating craft members,” the SMART-TD president, Jeremy Ferguson, said in a statement. “This can all be settled through negotiations and without a strike. A settlement would be in …
