President Joe Biden believes unions built the middle class. He also knew a rail worker strike could damage the economy ahead of midterm elections. That left him in the awkward position of espousing the virtues of unionization in Detroit, a stalwart of the labor movement, while members of his administration went all-out to keep talks going in Washington between the railroads and unionized workers in hopes of averting a shutdown. But after a long night, the talks succeeded and Biden announced Thursday that the parties had reached a tentative agreement to avoid a shutdown that would go to union members for a vote. The Democratic president hailed the deal in a statement for avoiding a shutdown and as a win for all sides. More at freep.com. #detroit #michigan #trains #train #laborstrike #labordeal #railworkerstrike #railroads #railways