Biden asks U.S. Congress to intervene, block potential national rail strike – National | 24CA News
U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday requested Congress to intervene and block a railroad strike earlier than subsequent month’s deadline within the stalled contract talks, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi mentioned lawmakers would take up laws this week to impose the deal that unions agreed to in September.
“Let me be clear: a rail shutdown would devastate our economy,” Biden mentioned in a press release. “Without freight rail, many U.S. industries would shut down.”
In a press release, Pelosi mentioned: “We are reluctant to bypass the standard ratification process for the Tentative Agreement — but we must act to prevent a catastrophic nationwide rail strike, which would grind our economy to a halt.”
Pelosi mentioned the House wouldn’t change the phrases of the September settlement, which might problem the Senate to approve the House invoice with out modifications.
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The September settlement that Biden and Pelosi are calling for is a slight enchancment over what the board of arbitrators really helpful in the summertime. The September settlement added three unpaid days off a 12 months for engineers and conductors to are likely to medical appointments so long as they scheduled them not less than 30 days upfront. The railroads additionally promised in September to not penalize employees who’re hospitalized and to barter additional with the unions after the contract is authorized about bettering the common scheduling of days off.
Hundreds of business teams had been urging Congress and the president to step into the deadlocked contract speak and stop a strike.
Both the unions and railroads have been lobbying Congress whereas contract talks proceed. If Congress acts, it can finish talks between the railroads and 4 rail unions that rejected their offers Biden helped dealer earlier than the unique strike deadline in September. Eight different unions have authorized their five-year offers with the railroads and are within the strategy of getting again pay for his or her employees for the 24% raises which are retroactive to 2020.
If Congress does what Biden suggests and imposes phrases much like what was agreed on in September, that can finish the union’s push so as to add paid sick time. The 4 unions which have rejected their offers have been urgent for the railroads so as to add that profit to assist deal with employees’ high quality of life issues, however the railroads had refused to contemplate that.
Biden mentioned that as a “a proud pro-labor president” he was reluctant to override the views of people that voted towards the settlement. “But in this case — where the economic impact of a shutdown would hurt millions of other working people and families — I believe Congress must use its powers to adopt this deal.”
Biden’s remarks and Pelosi’s assertion got here after a coalition of greater than 400 business teams despatched a letter to congressional leaders Monday urging them to step into the stalled talks due to fears concerning the devastating potential influence of a strike that would pressure many companies to close down if they’ll’t get the rail deliveries they want. Commuter railroads and Amtrak would even be affected in a strike as a result of lots of them use tracks owned by the freight railroads.
The business teams led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers and National Retail Federation mentioned even a short-term strike would have an incredible influence and the financial ache would begin to be felt even earlier than the Dec. 9 strike deadline. They mentioned the railroads would cease hauling hazardous chemical compounds, fertilizers and perishable items as much as every week beforehand to maintain these merchandise from being stranded someplace alongside the tracks.
“A potential rail strike only adds to the headwinds facing the U.S. economy,” the companies wrote. “A rail stoppage would immediately lead to supply shortages and higher prices. The cessation of Amtrak and commuter rail services would disrupt up to 7 million travelers a day. Many businesses would see their sales disrupted right in the middle of the critical holiday shopping season.”
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The same group of companies despatched one other letter to Biden final month urging him to play a extra lively position in resolving the contract dispute.
On Monday, the Association of American Railroads commerce group praised Biden’s motion.
“No one benefits from a rail work stoppage — not our customers, not rail employees and not the American economy,” mentioned AAR President and CEO Ian Jefferies. “Now is the appropriate time for Congress to pass legislation to implement the agreements already ratified by eight of the twelve unions.”
Business teams which have been pushing for Congress to settle this contract dispute praised Biden’s transfer.
“The Biden administration’s endorsement of congressional intervention affirms what America’s food, beverage, household and personal care manufacturers have been saying: Freight rail operations cannot shut down and imperil the availability and affordability of consumers’ everyday essentials,” mentioned Tom Madrecki, vice chairman of provide chain for the Consumer Brands Association. “The consequences to consumers if a strike were to occur are too serious, especially amid continued supply chain challenges and disruptions.”
Clark Ballew, a spokesman for the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division, which represents observe upkeep employees, mentioned earlier than Biden’s announcement that the union was “headed to D.C. this week to meet with lawmakers on the Hill from both parties. We have instructed our members to contact their federal lawmakers in the House and Senate for several weeks now.”
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Neil Bradley mentioned Biden was right in advocating for the deal already reached. “Congress must do what it has done 18 times before: intervene against a national rail strike,” Bradley mentioned in a press release, and he known as Congress implementing the deal agreed to by railroads and union leaders the “only path to avoid crippling strike.”
The railroads, which embody Union Pacific, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, CSX and Kansas City Southern, wished any deal to carefully comply with the suggestions a particular board of arbitrators that Biden appointed made this summer season that known as for the 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses however didn’t resolve employees’ issues about demanding schedules that make it onerous to take a time without work and different working situations. That’s what Biden is looking on Congress to impose.
Associated Press author Colleen Long in Washington contributed to this report.
© 2022 The Canadian Press
