Railway workers’ strike ends
2022.11.30 13:58
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Railway workers’ strike ends
Budrigannews.com – A bill to require rail workers to take paid sick time and prevent a potentially crippling railroad strike was approved by the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
After President Joe Biden warned of the catastrophic effects of a rail stoppage that could begin as early as Dec. 9, lawmakers voted 290 to 137 to impose a tentative contract agreement reached in September on a dozen unions representing 115,000 workers.
The provision of seven days of paid sick leave for railroad employees was approved by a vote of 221 to 207 in the House, but its fate is unknown in the Senate. The lack of paid short-term sick leave for railroad workers has enraged Democrats and some Republicans.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated, “We know much more needs to be done for railroad workers,” prior to the votes. Staying home when sick, visiting a doctor, or undergoing life-saving surgery should not put anyone at risk of losing their job.
As much as $2 billion per day could be lost to the American economy and millions of Amtrak and commuter rail passengers could be stranded as a result of a rail strike, which could freeze almost 30% of U.S. cargo shipments by weight.
Biden urged the Senate to act “urgently” following the vote.
“Railways will begin to halt the movement of critical materials like chemicals to clean our drinking water as soon as this weekend,” he said in a statement that did not address the separate paid sick leave proposal. “Without the certainty of a final vote to avoid a shutdown this week,” he said.
Railroads and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce oppose amending the September contract, largely in response to Biden’s emergency board’s recommendations.
The sick leave would “impose an unworkable, one-sided modification to a labor agreement,” according to the influential business lobby group.
Monday, Biden praised the proposed contract, which calls for Congress to enact the agreement without making any changes and includes five $1,000 lump-sum payments over the course of five years in addition to a 24% compounded pay increase.
After railroads agreed to one personal day and unions requested 15, the tentative agreement does not include any paid short-term sick days.
“This all might have been kept away from had the rail lines been willing to give their representatives a fundamental insurance and what such countless Americans as of now have: paid sick time,” Peter DeFazio, chair of the House Transportation Committee, stated.
Ian Jefferies, chief executive of the Association of American Railroads, asserted that the House’s action on sick leave could undermine subsequent collective bargaining and that unions have historically bargained for higher overall wages and a more generous long-term leave policy.
The deal has been approved by eight of the 12 unions.However, Biden has been criticized by some labor leaders for requesting that Congress impose a contract that workers in four unions have rejected due to its lack of paid sick leave.
Among the carriers covered by the contracts are Union Pacific (NYSE:), NYSE: Berkshire HathawayBNSF, CSX (NASDAQ:), Inc. Corporation Norfolk Southern (NYSE:)as well as Kansas City Southern
On Thursday, Senate Democrats will hear from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh regarding the rail labor issue.
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