However up to now, there was little momentum in Congress to cross any laws to avert a strike with lawmakers getting back from the Thanksgiving recess with an already packed schedule.
There are a number of steps Congress has the authority to take to stop a rail strike, one thing it has performed 18 occasions for the reason that Nineteen Sixties. It might lengthen the so-called cooling off interval, giving the events extra time to attempt to attain a voluntary settlement earlier than employees can strike. It might additionally impose a labor settlement on the employees that’s much like the one already agreed to by labor leaders and carriers or make modifications to that settlement that may very well be kind of favorable to employees or their employers.
Pelosi stated the Home would vote this week on the laws Biden is asking for, which wouldn’t make any modifications to the present settlement.
“This week, the Home will take up a invoice adopting the Tentative Settlement — with no poison drugs or modifications to the negotiated phrases — and ship it to the Senate,” she stated in an announcement following Biden’s.
Republican chief Rep. Kevin McCarthy departed the White Home assembly vital of the necessity to cross laws, however signaling he thought it might cross.
“I believe it’ll cross but it surely’s unlucky that is how we’re working our economic system immediately,” McCarthy stated.
However the greater impediment might lie with the Senate the place Democrats and Republicans might want to come collectively to get the 60 votes wanted to keep away from a filibuster.
For Democrats, imposing a contract on employees would seemingly fly within the face of the pro-union positions many have spent their careers advocating for and danger upsetting their key constituency of union members and labor leaders.
Nevertheless it might additionally present a possibility for Democrats to step in and provides further advantages to the rail employees, like paid sick days, although that may doubtless make it tougher to garner Republican help.
Sen. Bernie Sanders blocked laws in September that may have averted a possible strike on the time earlier than a tentative settlement was reached, arguing that rail employees wanted higher sick depart.
As for Republicans, the prospect of a strike gives them a possibility to blast Biden for his dealing with of the economic system and stir up a possible financial disruption that would harm Democrats within the subsequent election. It might additionally give them a gap to weaken the contract brokered with labor leaders, making it extra favorable to the business.
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the highest Republican on the Commerce Committee, sounded an optimistic tone.
“The president says he’s going to ask Congress to behave, and I’d count on Congress to help that request,” he stated.
‘Time to dither’
The businesses have warned {that a} shutdown of the railways would rapidly lead to cities working out of fresh consuming water, shortages of gasoline, and farmers unable to get feed for his or her livestock. It could additionally trigger manufacturing throughout a variety of sectors to grind to a halt and lead to backlogs on the ports with trains unable to move cargo off ships.
“In the event you have a look at the nationwide hurt that may come round even by the construct up of a strike it’s merely untenable and we’re effectively previous time for having Congress step in and resolve this,” stated John Drake, vp of transportation, infrastructure and provide chain coverage for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “They aren’t going to have a selection, this isn’t one thing the place we’ve time to dither round with it. Congressional management goes to must step in and take motion and we’re going to want bipartisan help and admittedly, we’ve run out of time for political video games. We’d like an answer now.”
Greater than 400 business teams signed on to a letter to congressional management Monday imploring them to behave and warning a strike would lead to “sure financial destruction.” The White Home estimates as many as 765,000 Individuals may very well be put out of labor within the first two weeks of a strike.
“The one factor standing in the best way of making certain that the American economic system would not take a significant hit as a consequence of a catastrophic rail strike is america Congress,” stated Mike Sommers, head of the American Petroleum Institute, in a name with reporters. “We have to ensure that america Congress acts on this as rapidly as doable to remove any risk of that financial calamity from occurring.”
Julie Tsirkin, Eli M. Rosenberg and Frank Thorp V contributed.
