US PRESIDENT Joe biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are considering the imposition of back-to-work legislation to prevent a rail strike over the objections of unions.
President Biden said lawmakers should 'immediately' codify the agreement he helped broker in September between unions and railways 'without any modifications or delay,' after labour groups voted to reject it.
Biden's intervention underscores the administration's growing concern about the possibility of a work stoppage on freight rail lines. A strike could wreak havoc on the US economy by crippling supply chains, disrupting passenger rail travel and preventing key materials from reaching water treatment plants.
Unions and railways have until December 9 to avoid a strike, and a negotiated agreement now appears unlikely.
Congress, still in Democrat control until January 23, can intervene to stop a strike under federal law. Speaker Pelosi said the House would consider legislation this week to adopt the tentative September agreement.
'This week, the House will take up a bill adopting the tentative agreement - with no poison pills or changes to the negotiated terms - and send it to the Senate,' Speaker Pelosi said in a statement. 'It is my hope that this necessary, strike-averting legislation will earn a strongly bipartisan vote, giving America's families confidence in our commitment to protecting their financial futures.'
SeaNews Turkey
President Biden said lawmakers should 'immediately' codify the agreement he helped broker in September between unions and railways 'without any modifications or delay,' after labour groups voted to reject it.
Biden's intervention underscores the administration's growing concern about the possibility of a work stoppage on freight rail lines. A strike could wreak havoc on the US economy by crippling supply chains, disrupting passenger rail travel and preventing key materials from reaching water treatment plants.
Unions and railways have until December 9 to avoid a strike, and a negotiated agreement now appears unlikely.
Congress, still in Democrat control until January 23, can intervene to stop a strike under federal law. Speaker Pelosi said the House would consider legislation this week to adopt the tentative September agreement.
'This week, the House will take up a bill adopting the tentative agreement - with no poison pills or changes to the negotiated terms - and send it to the Senate,' Speaker Pelosi said in a statement. 'It is my hope that this necessary, strike-averting legislation will earn a strongly bipartisan vote, giving America's families confidence in our commitment to protecting their financial futures.'
SeaNews Turkey