President of largest rail union predicts congressional intervention after ‘no’ vote

2 years ago 47

“Something’s gotta hap by then, different we’ll each walk,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson predicts lawmakers volition workout their quality to measurement successful earlier past — though it remains unclear whether they volition enforce the recommendations of a presidentially appointed exigency committee arsenic employers want; enforce the unions’ respective tentative agreements similar immoderate officials person advocated; oregon simply widen the cooling-off play to springiness negotiators much time. Unions and Democrats person urged repeatedly against legislature involution successful hopes of maintaining arsenic overmuch leverage arsenic possible.

“It’s specified a abbreviated clip frame,” Ferguson said. “I deliberation we’re going to spot Congress panic and measurement successful present astatine immoderate constituent adjacent week, unfortunately.”

Ferguson said helium volition reenter negotiations with carriers Tuesday alongside officials from 3 smaller freight obstruction unions that person besides voted down their tentative agreements. “They’re already successful discussions from weeks ago, of course, but I’m going to articulation the party,” helium said

Yet, based connected however those talks person gone frankincense far, Ferguson doesn’t expect being capable to summation overmuch ground, peculiarly since SMART-TD’s projected declaration made much analyzable changes to attendance and different policies.

“We’ll spot if it goes anywhere,” Ferguson said. But “carriers haven’t been consenting to determination with the different 3 unions” — “and already, our statement has a batch of enactment rules changes successful which theirs truly didn’t.” So “it’s a bigger elevation for america to climb.”

Union officials haven’t heard overmuch from Congress astatine this point, Ferguson said, leaving them mostly successful the acheronian arsenic to their plans. The House and Senate are retired this week up of the Thanksgiving holiday.

There is “no existent denotation yet what’s going to spell on,” Ferguson said. But “everybody’s acceptable to get it done; get it over.”

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