Unless the nation's largest railroads come to some kind of agreement concerning their labor contracts, thousands of rail workers are slated to walk off the job in protest.

If that happens, there will be no more animal feed shipments, no more fuel getting from point A to point B, and no more anything that normally gets delivered via rail.

Union officials say they do not want to go on strike, but are being forced to do so in an effect to keep wages and benefits up to snuff, especially in the current inflationary and staff shortage environment.

According to reports, the rail unions have been working without a contract since July 1, 2019.

After failing to reach an agreement about one through the National Mediation Board, both sides were told to take a 30-day "cooling off period." That period prevents unions from striking and railroads from locking out their workers while negotiations continue.

That period also ends in less than a week, and many unions, including the Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation (SMART) union, are ready to strike.