Another union has voted down a proposed contract with the freight railroad industry, again pushing the nation toward an economically crippling rail strike as soon as next month.
Yet another union voted down a proposed contract with the freight railroad industry Wednesday, again pushing the nation toward an economically crippling rail strike as soon as next month.
Democrats have so far resisted calls from some GOP lawmakers and the railroad industry to force both sides to accept the recommendations of a emergency board appointed by President Joe Biden. That compromise would raise workers’ pay by 24 percent over five years but did not include paid sick leave, a major sticking point in the negotiations.
Railroads and their unions have tried for three years to negotiate a new contract, eventually forcing Biden to appoint a board to work out a solution. That solution is part of the mix of contract negotiations, though many of the involved unions are negotiating for more. A Sept. 16 shutdown threat was averted when three unions that hadn’t yet reached a tentative agreement with the railroads agreed to one in the early morning hours of Sept. 15.
Another hang-up for members of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen: cost-of-living adjustments for workers who live in expensive states like California. The freight railroads say their workers get three to five weeks of paid vacation, partial pay in case of a short-term disability and the freedom to “mark off” — temporarily remove themselves from the list of available employees, at any time and for any reason. They also say federal law limits the number of hours rail employees can work and guarantees a certain amount of rest time.