Rail Strike Averted as House/Senate Settlement Bill Signed by President Biden
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- Created: 01 December 2022 01 December 2022
(Politico) The Senate voted Thursday, the President signed the bill on Saturday to avert a freight rail strike just days before crucial drinking water, food and energy shipments were set to be sidelined, after hurried talks in both chambers of Congress and a visit to the Senate from two of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet secretaries.
Ultimately the Senate voted 80-15, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voting present, on a bill that would impose the terms of a contract negotiated among freight railroads and most of their unions in September. Four out of the 12 unions involved had been holding out for additional paid sick days, making a strike possible as soon as Dec. 9. More from CNBC
President Biden Calls on Congress to Intervene in Threatened Rail Strike
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- Created: 29 November 2022 29 November 2022
(AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday asked Congress to intervene and block a railroad strike before next month’s deadline in the stalled contract talks, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said lawmakers would take up legislation this week to impose the deal that unions agreed to in September.
“Let me be clear: a rail shutdown would devastate our economy,” Biden said in a statement. “Without freight rail, many U.S. industries would shut down.”
More from the Associated Press.
Devastating freight Rail Strike? Government May Impose Settlement By First Week in December
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- Created: 22 November 2022 22 November 2022
Just when the transportation industry thought a rail strike was not in the cards due to a Biden-negotiated settlement earlier this year, four of the major unions have now rejected the previous 'deal.' It's not an exaggeration to say that the health of the fragile American economy is at stake.
From the Associated Press:
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — American consumers and nearly every industry will be affected if freight trains grind to a halt next month.
One of the biggest rail unions rejected its deal Monday, joining three others that have failed to approve contracts over concerns about demanding schedules and the lack of paid sick time. That raises the risk of a strike, which could start as soon as Dec. 5.
It wouldn’t take long for the effects of a rail strike to trickle through the economy. Many businesses only have a few days’ worth of raw materials and space for finished goods. Makers of food, fuel, cars and chemicals would all feel the squeeze, as would their customers.
That’s not to mention the commuters who would be left stranded because many passenger railroads use tracks owned by the freight railroads.
The stakes are so high for the economy that Congress is expected to intervene and impose contract terms on railroad workers. The last time US railroads went on strike was in 1992. That strike lasted two days before Congress intervened. An extended rail shutdown has not happened for a century, partly because a law passed in 1926 that governs rail negotiations made it much harder for workers to strike. The full article.