IARN — Monday was a busy day in the saga of the impending strike of railroad workers. December 9th is the final day for the unions and the railroad companies to reach an agreement over new contracts for workers. In September, it looked as though President Biden had helped broker a deal between the two sides that would avoid a strike. However, since then members of four of the twelve railroad workers’ unions have voted down the measure.
According to the Washington Post: “The main sticking points for rank-and-file members have been points-based attendance policies that penalize workers for taking time off when they are sick or for personal time, and contribute to grueling, unpredictable schedules that weigh on workers’ mental and physical health, they say. In June, a 51-year-old union engineer put off a doctor’s visit, and died of a heart attack on a train weeks later, his family said.”
If the four unions decide to strike on December 9th, the other eight would strike in a show of solidarity. Two-thirds of the groups kowtowing to the wishes of the other third. In this mix, the two most powerful rail unions are split. According to NPR news, The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, representing roughly 23,000 workers, voted to ratify the deal with 53.5% of the vote. But SMART Transportation Division, representing 28,000 conductors, brakemen, yardmen, and others, rejected the agreement, with 50.87% voting no.
A strike was expected in the first part of November, but that deadline was pushed back until December 9th, to buy more time for talks. As the 11th hour is upon us once again, companies, organizations, and even the White House are urging that the “nuclear option” be exercised.
On Monday more than 400 organizations and companies asked the U.S. Government to intervene in the situation. This list included the American Farm Bureau Federation, The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Retail Federation, the American Petroleum Institute, the National Restaurant Association, and the American Trucking Association.
President Biden consulted with his cabinet on Monday, especially with those who have been most involved in trying to broker a deal; Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. After that meeting, the President called on Congress to step in.
Under the Railway Labor Act of 1926, Congress can intervene in the case of a railway strike to impose a contract on the railroads to block or stop a rail strike.
During yesterday’s White House Press Briefing, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre talked about the President’s call for Congress to use its authority to force the rail workers to keep working. Something that has happened multiple times in the past 60+ years.
For more on this story visit the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.
Image: UP #5312 crosses in Boone, IA. Photo by Dustin Hoffmann
