U.S. House to vote to block rail strike despite labor objections - Reuters

WASHINGTON/LOS ANGELES, Nov 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives was acceptable to ballot Wednesday to artifact a obstruction onslaught that could perchance hap arsenic aboriginal arsenic Dec. 9, aft President Joe Biden warned of dire economical consequences and monolithic occupation losses.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said lawmakers volition ballot Wednesday to enforce a tentative declaration woody struck successful September connected a twelve unions representing 115,000 workers.

Pelosi said the House would ballot separately connected Wednesday connected a connection to springiness 7 days of paid sick permission to railroad employees.

"I don't similar going against the quality of unions to onslaught but weighing the equities, we indispensable debar a strike," she said Tuesday aft a gathering with Biden.

Biden had warned Monday of a catastrophic economical interaction if railroad work crushed to a halt, saying up to 765,000 Americans could suffer their jobs successful the archetypal 2 weeks of a strike.

"Congress, I think, has to enactment to forestall it. It's not an casual call, but I deliberation we person to bash it. The system is astatine risk," Biden said.

Despite the adjacent ties betwixt unions and the Democratic Party, respective labour leaders criticized Biden asking Congress to enforce a declaration that workers successful four retired of 12 unions rejected implicit its deficiency of paid sick leave.

The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes, 1 of 4 unions that voted against the contract, objected to Biden's telephone to Congress to intervene, saying "the railroad is not a spot to enactment portion you’re sick. It’s dangerous.... it is unreasonable and unjust to importune a idiosyncratic execute captious enactment erstwhile they are unwell."

There are nary paid sick days nether the tentative woody aft unions asked for 15 and railroads settled connected 1 idiosyncratic day.

The national propulsion for paid sick clip won enactment connected Capitol Hill, wherever Senator Bernie Sanders threatened to hold the railroad measure unless helium got a ballot connected the sick clip issue.

"Guaranteeing 7 paid sick days to obstruction workers would outgo the obstruction manufacture a expansive full of $321 cardinal a twelvemonth – little than 2% of its profits," Sanders said. "Please don't archer maine the obstruction manufacture can't spend it. Rail companies spent $25.5 cardinal connected banal buybacks and dividends this year."

Regulators and shippers person accused railroads of cutting unit to amended profitability. The railroads reason giving their workers paid sick time due to the fact that they would person to prosecute much staff. The carriers progressive see Union Pacific Corp (UNP.N), Berkshire Hathaway Inc's (BRKa.N) BNSF, CSX Corp (CSX.O), Norfolk Southern Corp (NSC.N) and Kansas City Southern.

The measurement needs a elemental bulk to walk the House. The measure would necessitate a supermajority of 60 retired of 100 votes to walk the Senate.

"I can’t successful bully conscience ballot for a measure that doesn’t springiness obstruction workers the paid permission they deserve," Representative Jamaal Bowman, a Democrat, said connected Twitter.

Biden connected Monday praised the projected declaration for including a 24% wage summation implicit 5 years and 5 yearly $1,000 lump-sum payments.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy besides criticized the effort but said "I deliberation it volition pass, but it's unfortunate that this is however we're moving our system today."

A obstruction postulation stoppage could frost astir 30% of U.S. cargo shipments by weight, stoke already surging ostentation and outgo the American system arsenic overmuch arsenic $2 cardinal per day.

Brian Dodge, president of the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), said the thought of a obstruction shutdown "is conscionable perfectly catastrophic" aft companies spent the past twelvemonth and a fractional trying to untangle gridlock successful the proviso chain. "We'd beryllium mounting ourselves backmost down that aforesaid way and it would instrumentality conscionable arsenic agelong to untangle the adjacent time," helium said.

The U.S. Congress has passed laws to hold oregon prohibit railway and hose strikes multiple times successful caller decades.

Reporting by David Shepardson successful Washington and Lisa Baertlein successful Los Angeles Steve Holland and Doina Chiacu; Writing by Kanishka Singh successful Washington; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Heather Timmons, Lisa Shumaker and Simon Cameron-Moore

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