Elected leaders knew there was only one route to take to keep the nation’s economy on track.The one that would avert a rail strike a week from now.That’s because inflation is lingering and the holiday shopping season is underway and there simply aren’t enough truck drivers to pick up the slack if rail would have ground to a halt.Before Wednesday afternoon’s vote, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown described the leverage and urgency.”Rail companies were profitable, immensely profitable prior to the pandemic. They only got more profitable during the pandemic. So, they need to give a little bit here. But we know we need to keep the trains running, period,” Brown said.The estimated economic hit if the trains had stopped was around $12 billion a week.Hundreds of thousands of jobs were on the line.The White House supported a bill that did not include additional paid sick leave.Some unions that considered President Biden the most labor-friendly Chief Executive of their lifetimes felt betrayed.”I don’t think it’s a betrayal. I think it’s a disagreement. And the President has come down on the side of workers. I mean, my whole career is built around the dignity of work. If you love your country, you fight for the people who make it work. President Biden’s doing that, too. We are going to do this as well as we can to protect the economy and to protect those workers. Not sure how it’s going to come out, but we will do it the best that we can make happen,” Brown said.Unions were split about the benefits of the rail deal.Politicians were split about adding paid sick days.But late Wednesday, the Senate found the split switch to bypass the sick day hurdles and keep everything rolling.
Elected leaders knew there was only one route to take to keep the nation’s economy on track.
The one that would avert a rail strike a week from now.
That’s because inflation is lingering and the holiday shopping season is underway and there simply aren’t enough truck drivers to pick up the slack if rail would have ground to a halt.
Before Wednesday afternoon’s vote, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown described the leverage and urgency.
“Rail companies were profitable, immensely profitable prior to the pandemic. They only got more profitable during the pandemic. So, they need to give a little bit here. But we know we need to keep the trains running, period,” Brown said.
The estimated economic hit if the trains had stopped was around $12 billion a week.
Hundreds of thousands of jobs were on the line.
The White House supported a bill that did not include additional paid sick leave.
Some unions that considered President Biden the most labor-friendly Chief Executive of their lifetimes felt betrayed.
“I don’t think it’s a betrayal. I think it’s a disagreement. And the President has come down on the side of workers. I mean, my whole career is built around the dignity of work. If you love your country, you fight for the people who make it work. President Biden’s doing that, too. We are going to do this as well as we can to protect the economy and to protect those workers. Not sure how it’s going to come out, but we will do it the best that we can make happen,” Brown said.
Unions were split about the benefits of the rail deal.
Politicians were split about adding paid sick days.
But late Wednesday, the Senate found the split switch to bypass the sick day hurdles and keep everything rolling.
