Arizona state university.
Judy: Let's look more closely at
the joint efforts by the
president and congress to avoid
a major railroad strike.
As we reported, the U.S. House
of representatives today passed
key votes to avoid a strike that
could start next week.
Lisa Desjardins has our report
and then looks at some of the
key issues in the dispute.
>> The gentleman is recognized.
Lisa: Today in congress, both
parties fervently engaged in
trying to avert a national
economic blow, a rail strike in
just over a week.
>> Every major industry from
automobiles to agriculture to
energy will be severely impacted
if we fail to act.
>> It has come to us, as much as
we might not like it, to have to
negotiate this.
Lisa: The house took the first
step today.
>> The ayes are 290, the nays
are 137.
Lisa: Passing a bill to force a
tentative labor deal into place.
Back in September, skies looked
clear as the Biden
administration helped broker
that deal with union chiefs.
That agreement would raise
salaries by 24% over five years
and give thousands of dollars in
retroactive bonuses to rail
workers.
But it only grants them a single
day of paid sick leave.
[Train horn]
Lisa: And that issue was pivotal
to rank and file members.
As a result, four unions
including some of the largest
voted down the plan and are
threatening to strike.
A sense of impending crisis was
one reason Mr. Biden called
congressional leaders to the
white house yesterday to get
congress to step in and force
the deal.
Pres. Biden: There's a lot to do
including resolving the train
strike, what we're doing now,
and congress, I think, has to
act to prevent it.
It's not an easy call but I
think we have to do it.
The economy's at risk.
Lisa: But Progressive Democrats,
led by congresswoman pramila
jayapal in the house, spent the
last day pushing for a better
deal.
>> CEO's have increased their
pay, and yet they don't wanna
pay a penny, what amounts to
about a penny a day for seven
sick days for workers?
So I'm not happy about that.
Lisa: As a result, congress is
working on two tracks with two
bills.
One forcing in the original deal
into place and a second that
would force railway companies to
pay for seven days of leave.
>> Yays are 221, and the nays
are 207.
Lisa: The house passed that idea
as well but the senate can take
it or leave it and still avert a
strike.
Rail owners have pushed back
with the association of American
railroads writing that there is
a misperception that they have
imposed draconian abusive work
rules, saying these are
long-held practices unions
agreed to in the past.
Nearly all agree a strike could
derail the U.S. Economy
, freezing almost 30% of U.S.
Cargo shipments and costing some
%2 billion a day.
Action in the senate is expected
soon.
For the record, we should note
that one of the rail carriers
involved in this dispute is
bnsf, a newshour funder.
For more on the railroad
workers' perspective, we turn to
Tony Cardwell.
He is the president of the
brotherhood of maintenance of
way employees division.
Help us first understand
absolutely.
Thanks for having me on, first
of all.
I represent the hardest working
employees in the railroad, I
believe.
They are the ones who do the
maintenance on the track and
reconstruction of track, tunnels
and bridges, and they do the
hard work of swinging the hammer
and operate some of the heavy
equipment and do much of the
work that maintains the
structures throughout the united
States Lisa:.
Why is it -- United States.
Lisa: Why is it that sick leave
is such a huge issue that they
are willing to freeze the U.S.
Economy?
>> It was brought to light
during the pandemic.
Many of our employees fell ill
and/or were quarantined because
they were exposed to it.
In doing so, they were not
compensated.
Our members lost thousands of
dollars of pay through the
multiple quarantines and
sickness throughout the year and
brought the sick leave issue to
light.
This has been exasperated by the
railroad's operation systems
that they utilized called psr.
Psr has cut our membership to
the bare bones so there's fewer
workers doing the same amount of
work.
In doing so, it forced the
policies -- the policies forced
the employees to be artwork.
They can no longer call in sick.
They can be disciplined if they
do so.
Lisa: Psr stands for position
scheduling.
That is the way the railroads
said they are becoming more
efficient but essentially, it's
fewer people working longer,
longer hours, faster trains.
I want to get to what is going
on with the sick leave which is
the critical issue.
Railway workers are not unique
in having a pool of time off,
vacation time, for example, and
some of the railway owners
including the American
association of railways argue
that railway workers can use
that time off that they already
have if they are sick.
They say unions agreed to that
in the past.
What is wrong with that?
>> Railroads have said a lot of
things but they are simply
untrue.
Vacation has to be scheduled and
employees are required to
schedule early in the year.
Only has one week of vacation in
many cases and he is supposed to
give adequate notice even if he
breaks up the days of vacation.
The railway carriers are not
being honest.
Lisa: This is a look at a major
debate in American life.
Labor and workers rights and
especially time off.
It's also a look at the role of
congress.
Congress is poised to force you
into a deal.
It may have only one day of sick
leave.
It may have seven.
What do you think of congress
forcing you into something?
>> We have been adamant that we
don't want to strike, nobody
does, but if congress is going
to intervene and stop our
strike, we believe they should
give us what we would otherwise
get in that strike.
The point is this.
If congress did not intervene,
$2 billion a day, the railroad
would come running to the table
to negotiate sick leave but they
are utilizing congress as a
backstop because they know under
the law that they cannot
intervene and stop our strike.
Our point and our position with
all congressional people has
been if you are going to stop
our strike, give us what we
would otherwise get.
If you are going to intervene
and stop honest, you should give
us what we would otherwise get.
And that is why the bills being
passed today, we are happy to
see it passed congress and we
are hoping to get the senate to
support the bill as well.
We believe that our employees
are entitled to this.
We need to make sure that we
stand with workers.
Our public servants stand with
the workers and not the duopoly
corporations that are
controlling your government
right now.
We have high hopes we will get
some Republicans to stand with
us and get the bill through the
senate.
Judy: I can see -- Lisa: I can
see you are busy with
negotiations, everything going
off where you are.
One more question in the minute
or so we have left.
President Biden calls himself a
prolabor president but he says
your strike was just too risky
for hundreds of thousands of
workers, millions of people, and
the economy.
How do you respond to him on
that?
>> We were definitely frustrated
with what he said.
His statement was implied that
the railroads -- that the unions
are the problem and gave cover
for the railroads in my opinion.
We wish he would have made a
different statement and come out
in support of our sick leave.
He has positioned himself I
believe to support the sick
leave days and his recent
statement, he did say he hopes
that the bill passes the senate
so he has changed his position
on this and we appreciate that.
We are still frustrated that he
took the position that he did.
Can always agree so I will say
that.
Lisa: -- Cannot always agree so
I will say that.
Lisa: We appreciate your time.
>> Thank you for your time,
Lisa.
I appreciate it.