President Joe Biden signed legislation Friday to prevent a strike that he warned would cripple the economy and put millions out Americans out of work heading into the holidays. (This would also prevent Amtrak rail disruption.)
At Biden’s urging, Congress voted earlier this week to intervene in a labor dispute between rail unions and operators of the nation’s freight railways. Lawmakers voted to adopt a tentative agreement that the White House brokered in September between union leaders and rail operators despite the opposition of some rank-and-file workers.
Four of the 12 unions representing rail workers rejected the deal, setting the stage for a work stoppage that would have begun Dec. 9. The unions wanted more than the one day of paid sick leave provided in the agreement.
A rail strike would cost the economy about $2 billion each day and claim 765,000 jobs within the first two weeks of a strike.
Article by Michael Collins, USA TODAY
Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics
