The president of the United States, Joe Biden, celebrated the final approval in Congress of a law that stops the railway strike that would have had catastrophic effects on the economy.
“We have saved this country from a Christmas catastrophe in grocery stores, workplaces, and communities,” Biden said in a statement highlighting the swift action of the Legislature in Washington DC
The measure establishes the stoppage of work as illegal, so that workers would be exposed to dismissal if They don’t show up for work.
A mobilization of this type would have meant losses of $2, 30 million daily, millions of passengers of railroads without transportation, an increase in inflation, and a standstill of 30% of US freight shipments by weight. A second piece of legislation to provide paid sick leave did not pass the sieve of Congress.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved legislation to stop the strike, as well as the second measure to require seven days of illness payments for the workers.2022
The second legislation was what he delayed negotiations and was ultimately left out of the deal in the Senate. The measure did not receive the required supermajority of 550 votes and was not endorsed by the White House.
Sean O’Brien, general president of the Teamsters union, criticized on Twitter that the Senate has not given the go-ahead to the request for sick days. “Rail carriers make record profits. Railroad workers don’t get a single sick day. This is good? Paid sick leave is a basic human right. This system is failing”, read a tweet from the union leader.