The House has voted to head off an economically disastrous freight rail strike by imposing a labor contract on railroads and workers, despite opposition from unions angry about the lack of concessions on sick pay. The legislation now heads to the Senate.
But the deal doesn’t address sick leave policies, a disappointment for unions that form one of Democrats’ core constituencies., passed 290-137. Despite broad support, a handful of senators from both parties have said they will oppose the bill, a development that could delay final Senate approval for days.
But the clock is ticking, and impacts of a potential rail shutdown will start being felt as soon as this weekend., that would add seven paid sick days to the agreement as a way to appease progressive Democrats who chafed at voting for a rail contract that was less than what workers wanted. Separating the bills also is a nod to the realities of the Senate, where the sick leave bill is certain to fail. said in a statement that the paid sick leave vote was added to the floor schedule after conversations between House leadership, progressives and Transportation Chair. Jayapal said any House-passed legislation on the contract agreement “will be accompanied by legislation that addresses the workers’ long standing demand for fair paid leave.” DeFazio said both parties are no closer to a solution on paid sick leave than they were three years ago, which forced congressional action. “I will proudly vote to lock in the tentative agreements and provide railroaders seven paid sick days,” DeFazio said in a statement. “The CEO’s can take a shift in the rail yard to cover them.”and Senate Minority Leaderare trying to corral their caucuses toward a vote. Time is of the essence because though rail workers will stay on the job until Dec. 9, certain hazardous materials are likely to start being sidelined over the weekend to avoid being stranded. The freight railroads estimate that a shutdown would cost $2 billion per day. A stoppage would imperil supplies for critical resources such as clean drinking water and force long-distance passenger trains and commuter trains off the tracks because they mostly run on freight rails. Both Schumer and McConnell have said they support quick passage of a bill that would impose a contract and end the stalemate. said he plans to force votes on the sick leave issue, while some Republicans such as Sen. said they will vote against legislation that some rail workers do not support. Other Republicans have also criticized President Joe Biden, who helped negotiate the tentative contract agreement in September, for moving forward with an agreement that did not have the support of some rank-and-file union members. Because of Senate procedure, one senator can slow the process down and force leadership to hold a series of long procedural votes to make any progress, even though most senators from both parties support legislation that would head off a rail shutdown. Activists in support of unionized rail workers protest outside the U.S. Capitol Building on Nov.29, 2022 in Washington, D.C. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Labor Secretary Marty Walsh will address Democratic senators on Thursday to explain “why this is the path forward,” Sen. said. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is also expected to address senators, according to an aide. Rail worker unions and rail operators have been bargaining for years on a labor agreement, with major sticking points around paid sick leave, on-call policies and time off. Workers won significant pay raises and other victories in the tentative deal but paid sick leave was not one of them. Despite the objections of some House progressives, Wednesday’s vote on the tentative agreement was never seriously in doubt because a number of House Republicans said they planned to support the tentative agreement to avert a rail shutdown. If the tentative agreement passes the Senate and becomes law, it means changes to sick leave policy that workers support will have to wait, or be addressed by Congress at a later date.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Bipartisan House and Senate leaders vow to avert rail strikeA group of bipartisan House and Senate leaders on Tuesday vowed to adopt a tentative agreement between railroad workers and operators to avert a strike that could upend the U.S. economy.
Read more »
Senate moves to protect same-sex and interracial marriages; House votes nextIt's an extraordinary sign of shifting national politics on the issue and a measure of relief for the hundreds of thousands of same-sex couples.
Read more »
Senate passes landmark bill protecting same-sex marriages; House approval comes nextAn historic bill was passed by the Senate Tuesday that now puts Congress one step further in protecting same-sex and interracial marriages.
Read more »
House, Senate negotiators agree to add $45B to Biden’s defense budgetHouse and Senate negotiators have agreed to add $45 billion to Biden’s defense budget, said sources familiar with the negotiations. The deal would authorize a total of $847 billion for national defense in fiscal 2023 if approved by both chambers.
Read more »
House passes bill to avert looming rail strike, sending it to Senate ahead of crucial deadlineRailway workers are vowing to strike by Dec. 9 if a new agreement can’t be reached. The bill now heads to the Senate, where some members are threatening roadblocks to delay it.
Read more »
House votes to avert rail strike, sending legislation to SenateThe House voted on Wednesday to codify the deal the Biden administration struck between labor unions and railroad companies.
Read more »