House votes to impose deal to avert rail strike
2 years ago

House votes to impose deal to avert rail strike

LA Times  

The U.S. House moved urgently Wednesday to head off the looming nationwide rail strike, passing a bill that would bind companies and workers to a proposed settlement that was reached in September but rejected by some of the 12 unions involved. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded to that concern by adding a second vote Wednesday that would add seven days of paid sick leave per year for rail workers covered under the agreement. On the other hand, the Transportation Trades Department labor coalition, which includes all the rail unions, praised the vote to add sick time and told lawmakers who voted against it they had “abandoned your working-class constituents.” The focus now turns to the Senate, where the timing for a vote is unclear. The railroads say the unions have agreed in negotiations over the decades to forgo paid sick time in favor of higher wages and strong short-term disability benefits. “It should be there, and I hope it will be there at the end of this process.” Most rail workers don’t receive any paid sick time, but they do have short-term disability benefits that kick in after as little as four days and can replace some of their income for a year or more.

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History of this topic

In a first, some CSX railroad workers to get paid sick leave
1 year, 10 months ago

In a first, some CSX railroad workers to get paid sick leave

Associated Press  

— Several thousand workers at CSX will soon get one of the things that pushed the U.S. railroad industry to the brink of a strike last fall: paid sick time. Quality-of-life concerns about the lack of paid sick time and demanding schedules that keep many rail workers on call 24-7 dominated contract talks with all the major railroads last fall. …

Rail workers say deal won’t resolve quality-of-life concerns
2 years ago

Rail workers say deal won’t resolve quality-of-life concerns

Associated Press  

— When BNSF railroad conductor Justin Schaaf needed to take time off from work this summer, he had to make a choice: go to the dentist to get a cavity in his molar filled or attend a party for his son’s 7th birthday. “Then when I am finally able to get into the dentist four, five, six months later, the …

Congress votes to avert rail strike amid dire warnings
2 years ago

Congress votes to avert rail strike amid dire warnings

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Legislation to avert what could have been an economically ruinous freight rail strike won final approval in Congress on Thursday as lawmakers responded quickly to President Joe Biden’s call for federal intervention in a long-running labor dispute. “I will sign the bill into law as soon as Congress sends it to my desk.” The Senate voted shortly after …

US President Joe Biden signs bill to avoid December rail strike
2 years ago

US President Joe Biden signs bill to avoid December rail strike

Al Jazeera  

Biden vows to return to the issue of paid sick leave ‘not just for rail workers but for every worker in America’. But in a bill-signing ceremony at the White House on Friday, Biden opened his remarks by vowing to continue the fight for one of the rail unions’ key demands: paid sick leave. “We still have more work to …

Democrats Vote To Force Contract On Rail Workers Without Paid Sick Leave
2 years ago

Democrats Vote To Force Contract On Rail Workers Without Paid Sick Leave

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING WASHINGTON — The Senate voted Thursday to impose a union contract on rail workers in order to avoid a massive strike, but lawmakers did not include paid sick leave in the deal, as many workers had demanded. Although it was primarily Republicans who stood in the way of paid sick leave, it was Biden who called for …

House votes to avert rail strike, impose deal on unions
2 years ago

House votes to avert rail strike, impose deal on unions

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House moved urgently to head off the looming nationwide rail strike on Wednesday, passing a bill that would bind companies and workers to a proposed settlement that was reached in September but rejected by some of the 12 unions involved. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded to that concern by adding a second vote Wednesday that would …

US Senate votes on deal to dodge nationwide railroad strike
2 years ago

US Senate votes on deal to dodge nationwide railroad strike

Al Jazeera  

But an amendment to ensure paid sick leave for railroad workers failed to pass the US Senate’s 60-vote threshold. Shortly before the vote, the Senate rejected a separate amendment that would have given railroad workers seven days of paid sick leave per year, a key demand. “What was negotiated was so much better than anything they ever had.” The deal …

Congress leaders signal support for preventing US rail strike
2 years ago

Congress leaders signal support for preventing US rail strike

Al Jazeera  

US President Joe Biden would like to stop a rail strike that could cost the US economy $2bn a day. United States congressional leaders have expressed support for quickly ending a threatened rail workers’ strike that could sow chaos in the US economy. Speaking at the White House after a meeting with President Joe Biden Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck …

Biden Calls On Congress To Head Off Potential Rail Strike
2 years ago

Biden Calls On Congress To Head Off Potential Rail Strike

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING OMAHA, Neb. — President Joe Biden on Monday called on Congress to pass legislation to intervene and block a railroad strike before next month’s deadline in the stalled contract talks. A coalition of more than 400 business groups sent a letter to Congressional leaders Monday urging them to step into the stalled talks because of fears about …

Consumers could pay price if railroads, unions can’t agree
2 years, 1 month ago

Consumers could pay price if railroads, unions can’t agree

Associated Press  

— Consumers could see higher gas prices and shortages of some of their favorite groceries during the winter holiday season if railroads and all of their unions can’t agree on new contracts by an early-December deadline that had already been pushed back. The Retail Industry Leaders Association said a rail strike “would cause enormous disruption” although retail stores are well …

Big rail unions split on contract deal with railroads, raising possibility of a strike
2 years, 1 month ago

Big rail unions split on contract deal with railroads, raising possibility of a strike

LA Times  

Railroad engineers accepted a deal with the railroads Monday that would deliver 24% raises, but conductors rejected their proposed agreement, threatening the health of the U.S. economy just before the holidays and casting more doubt on whether the industry will be able to resolve the labor dispute before next month’s deadline without the help of Congress. “But an interruption to …

Second railroad union rejects deal, adding to strike worries
2 years, 1 month ago

Second railroad union rejects deal, adding to strike worries

Associated Press  

— A second railroad union rejected its deal with the major U.S. freight railroads on Wednesday, reflecting workers’ increasing frustration with the lack of paid sick time and adding to concerns about the possibility of a strike next month that could cripple the economy. Union President Michael Baldwin cited the “lack of good-faith bargaining” by the railroads, and said the …

Railroads reject sick time demands, raising chance of strike
2 years, 2 months ago

Railroads reject sick time demands, raising chance of strike

Associated Press  

— The major freight railroads appear unwilling to give track maintenance workers much more than they received in the initial contract they rejected last week, increasing the chances of a strike. The railroads took the unusual step of issuing a statement late Wednesday rejecting the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division union’s latest request to add seven days of …

Quality of life concerns weigh heavily on rail contract vote
2 years, 2 months ago

Quality of life concerns weigh heavily on rail contract vote

Associated Press  

— The lack of some benefits most American workers can readily count on, like paid sick leave and regularly scheduled weekends, is driving some railroad workers to veto contracts that include hefty raises and $5,000 bonuses. And it’s hard to get paid leave or vacation days approved unless workers plan far ahead and have the seniority to secure them, so …

Large rail union rejects deal, renewing strike possibility
2 years, 2 months ago

Large rail union rejects deal, renewing strike possibility

Associated Press  

— The U.S.'s third largest railroad union rejected a deal with employers Monday, renewing the possibility of a strike that could cripple the economy. Union President Tony Cardwell said the railroads didn’t do enough to address the lack of paid time off — particularly sick time — and working conditions after the major railroads eliminated nearly one-third of their jobs …

Tentative labor deal averts threat of nationwide rail strike
2 years, 3 months ago

Tentative labor deal averts threat of nationwide rail strike

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Rail companies and their workers reached a tentative agreement Thursday to avert a nationwide strike that could have shut down the nation’s freight trains and devastated the economy less than two months before the midterm elections. Joined in the Oval Office by business and union leaders, a beaming Biden joked that he was surprised everyone was “still standing” …

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