Early this morning the workers of United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) Local 506 and 618 went on strike after negotiations with Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp. (Wabtec) broke down over pay and benefits protections previously negotiated with GE Transportation. Wabtac completed their $2.9 billion merger of GE Transportation on Monday, as part of General Electric’s strategy to spin-off and sell its Transportation Systems holdings. The plant at Erie, Pa., has manufactured locomotives and associated systems for more than 100 years. This story is developing.

—Railfan & Railroad