Major freight railroads have a labor deal, but shippers want to see the agreement signed and delivered, says The Wall Street Journal. Groups representing rail customers say they are anxious to see the tentative railroad contract ratified, a process that remains complicated and could take several weeks.

The deal announced before dawn on the morning of Sept. 15 came less than 24 hours before a deadline Sept. 16 that could have led to a shutdown of rail operations across the U.S., potentially stranding tens of thousands of shipments. Freight railroads immediately restored services they had suspended earlier in the week. 

The timing for ratification votes by the two unions covered by the deal hasn’t been set. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union says it is now working to get a new agreement after its members rejected a tentative deal that had been struck earlier.