The House of Representatives voted Nov. 30 to impose a tentative pact reached between the nation's freight railroads and labor leaders back in September. The deal was subsequently rejected by the rank and file of four of the industry's larger unions but approved by several others. The 290 to 137 bipartisan House vote came after President Biden requested Congressional intervention to head off "a potentially crippling national rail shutdown" on Dec. 9.
A second vote to require that the nation's freight rail workers get seven paid sick days, a major sticking point for the unions that rejected the President's Emergency Board's brokered deal passed by a far narrower 221 to 207 votes. Just three Republicans, crossed over to support the measure that AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said would be a remedy for a pact that "fell short by not including provisions on paid sick leave or fair scheduling."
