A rail strike is again looming over America. Four unions have rejected a negotiated deal over concerns about demanding schedules and paid sick leave.

If rail unions don't reach an agreement with their employers by December 9th, nearly 60,000 workers could end up on strike, just two weeks before Christmas.

Estimates show a shutdown could cost more than$2 billion a day, bringing more snags to an already struggling supply chain.

"Coal generates about 22% of electricity in the United States and quite a bit of that is shipped by rail," says Dr. Peter Orazem, an economics professor at Iowa State. "Certainly, you would, parts of the United States that would go begging for electricity."

Here in Iowa, a lack of that cold-busting coal could become a problem in the winter months.

"We do have seven or eight coal fired electric utilities and that if their stored capacity runs out," says Dr. Orazem. "It's not obvious what other options they would have."

The AG industry could also see some hurdles for nearly half of its grain exports.

"Most of the grain that ships for export 40% of the grain that ships for export is shipped by rail," says Dr. Orazem.

Since most businesses have what they need for the season, a rail strike shouldn't derail your holiday shopping plans. However, railways hitting the breaks, could have a ripple effect on other businesses across the state like manufacturing plants and some food items. Yet, there is one failsafe in place to reign in the impacts of a runaway rail strike.

Dr. Orazem says, "at some point you would see the government stepping in and saying that it's not going to allow the strike to continue."

Right now, President Biden is backing a Senate plan to avert a shutdown and Senator Chuck Grassley agreeing, in a statement to Iowa's News Now earlier today, saying “AG producers in Iowa and across the country depend on rail to move inputs, grains and other AG products. The administration’s presidential emergency board has worked to resolve this dispute with a deal that is best for everyone, but a few unions within the industry continue to reject generous offers. This has gone on long enough. If the parties cannot come to a deal by the end of the cooling off period, it may be time for congress to step in.”