House Votes to Impose Deal on Railroad Unions

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. House moved urgently to head off the looming nationwide rail strike on Wednesday, 通过了一项法案，该法案将公司和工人约束在9月份达成的一项拟议的解决方案中，但被涉及的12个工会中的一些工会拒绝.

The measure passed by a vote of 290-137 and now heads to the Senate. 如果在参议院获得通过，该法案将由乔·拜登总统签署，他敦促参议院迅速采取行动.

"Without the certainty of a final vote to avoid a shutdown this week, 铁路最早将于本周末开始停止运输化学品等关键材料来清洁我们的饮用水," Biden said. "Let me say that again: without action this week, disruptions to our auto supply chains, our ability to move food to tables, and our ability to remove hazardous waste from gasoline refineries will begin."

Business groups including the U.S. 美国商会和美国农场局联合会警告说，停止铁路服务将给经济造成每天20亿美元的毁灭性损失.

该法案将强制实施一项由拜登政府斡旋达成的妥协劳工协议，该协议最终被代表大约115个工会的12个工会中的4个投票否决,000 employees at large freight railroads. The unions have threatened to strike if an agreement can't be reached before a Dec. 9 deadline.

Lawmakers from both parties expressed reservations about overriding the negotiations. 对民主党议员来说，这种干预尤其困难，他们传统上寻求与政治上强大的工会结盟，这些工会批评拜登干预合同纠纷和阻止罢工的举动.

众议院议长佩洛西对这种担忧作出了回应，她星期三增加了一项第二次投票，该投票将为协议涵盖的铁路工人每年增加7天的带薪病假. However, it will take effect only if the Senate goes along and passes both measures. The House passed the sick leave measure as well, but by a much narrower margin, 221-207, as Republicans overwhelmingly opposed it, 这表明该附加条款在两党势均力敌的参议院获得通过的希望渺茫.

商业团体和美国铁路协会对众议院投票阻止罢工表示赞赏，但敦促参议员抵制在协议中增加病假.

"Unless Congress wants to become the de facto endgame for future negotiations, 任何试图控制谈判规模以人为地对任何一方有利的努力, or otherwise obstruct a swift resolution, would be wholly irresponsible," said Ian Jefferies, head of the AAR.

On the other hand, 包括所有铁路工会在内的运输贸易部劳工联盟赞扬了增加病假的投票，并告诉投票反对的议员，他们“抛弃了你们的工人阶级选民”."

The focus now turns to the Senate where the timing for a vote is unclear. 劳工部长沃尔什和交通部长布蒂吉格星期四将会见民主党参议员，讨论铁路谈判. 一些民主党人坚持要求参议院就提供7天带薪病假进行投票.

"A multibillion-dollar industry that is engaged in buybacks, 在大流行期间，该公司的利润率翻了一番，但它不应该强迫员工在生病或受伤时上班," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

但大多数共和党人不愿改变9月份达成的初步解决方案.

“我认为这是一个不好的先例，让我们进入细微差别和细节，这样的事情已经谈判了三年," said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D.

要求带薪病假和其他生活质量问题是谈判的主要症结. 铁路公司表示，工会在过去几十年的谈判中同意放弃带薪病假，以换取更高的工资和强有力的短期残疾福利.

杰富瑞周二表示，铁路公司将考虑在未来增加带薪病假, but said that change should wait for a new round of negotiations.

工会坚持认为，铁路公司可以轻松地负担得起增加带薪病假的费用，因为他们正在创造创纪录的利润. 参与合同谈判的几家大型铁路公司第三季度的利润超过10亿美元.

"Quite frankly, 事实上，带薪休假并不是铁路和劳工之间最终协议的一部分, in my opinion, obscene," said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

Most rail workers don't receive any paid sick time, 但他们确实有短期的残疾津贴，可以在短短四天后开始领取，并且可以代替他们一年或更长时间的部分收入. Rail workers also receive vacation and personal leave days, 但工作人员表示，这些药物很难用于治疗疾病，因为它们通常必须提前获得批准.

In the House, Republicans voiced support for the measure to block the strike, 但批评拜登政府求助国会“介入解决混乱局面”.大约79名共和党人与绝大多数民主党人一起投票支持将两党约束在初步解决方案中的法案.

But Republicans criticized Pelosi's decision to add the sick leave bill to the mix, and only three of them voted for that resolution. 他们说，拜登政府自己的特别仲裁委员会建议提高工资，以补偿工会在其建议中没有包括病假.

“如果国会要介入并修改所有的建议，我们为什么还要把这个系统设置成现在这个样子??" said Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo.

Pelosi sought to position Democrats and the Biden administration as defenders of unions, but she said Congress needed to intervene to avoid a strike.

“家庭将无法购买杂货或救生药物，因为这将更加昂贵，易腐货物在上架之前就会变质," Pelosi said.

铁路公司和大多数工会支持的妥协协议提供了24%的加薪和5美元,000 in bonuses retroactive to 2020 along with one additional paid leave day. The raises would be the biggest rail workers have received in more than four decades. Workers would have to pay a larger share of their health insurance costs, but their premiums would be capped at 15% of the total cost of the insurance plan. 该协议并没有解决工人们对日程安排的担忧，这些安排让他们很难休息一天，也没有更多的带薪病假.

On several past occasions, 国会通过立法推迟或禁止铁路和航空公司的罢工来干预劳资纠纷.