Joe Biden likes to be seen as a ‘Labor’ friendly guy…..
BUT?
With the Rail Road unions threatening to go on strike?
The President CANNOT afford to have America take a another hit to its economy……
Hence?
The Government WILL step in to make sure there is NO nationwide strike by affecting the terms of the deal…..
President Joe Biden knew it was a risky move, stepping into a labor standoff to avert a rail strike at the height of the holiday season.
But as a Dec. 9 work stoppage loomed, the economic risks — not to mention health and safety concerns — outweighed any potential political blowback, the White House said Tuesday. Another worry: A GOP House could impose an even less labor-friendly deal if the dispute drags into next year.
Now, Biden is pinning his hopes on Democrats in Congress to resolve the impasse, our Ben White reports:
“Biden’s decision to request Congress’ intervention late Monday came after phone calls over recent days with Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the trio of aides running point for the White House on the issue, three people familiar with the planning told POLITICO. In the end, they said, Biden figured that the blowback from unions and highly progressive members of Congress would be limited.
“‘We hit a spot where even if we could get the parties to agree at a table, the period to ratify would run past the shutdown date’ of Dec. 9, one top Biden aide said of the agonizing decision process. … ‘So it just became impossible to get a deal agreed to and ratified before the key date.’”
A different route — Ben writes that Biden opposed using Congress’ authority to force labor deals on railroad workers when he was a senator and resisted that route for months this time around.
“But with fertilizer companies making plans to stop shipments and rising threats to the movement of products needed for clean drinking water, Biden decided time was up.
“And the last thing the president or White House wanted was a crippling strike stopping the movement of around 40 percent worth of freight … Any such disruption could also add further upward pressure on inflation, which is still running at 40-year highs after massive government stimulus during the Covid-19 pandemic and amidst a big gap in heavy consumer demand and limited supplies of both available workers and materials used for finished products.”
What’s next? Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Congress needs to act soon, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she plans to hold a vote on a bill on the House floor today, our Alex Daugherty, Garrett Downs and Tanya Snyder report….