Arizona lawmakers vote to impose contract on rail workers, fend off strike – Cronkite News – Arizona PBS

WASHINGTON – Most members of Arizona’s congressional delegation joined the remainder of the Home Wednesday to provide overwhelming bipartisan approval to a invoice that will head off a nationwide rail strike by imposing contract phrases on rail employees’ unions.

However the delegation – and the Home – break up on occasion traces on a second proposal that will mandate paid sick go away for railroad employees, a key demand of unions that was largely rejected by administration within the newest tentative contract.

That contract was rejected in November by 4 of the 12 affected unions, setting the stage for a potential strike as early as subsequent week that lawmakers and the Biden administration mentioned can be crippling to the nation’s economic system.

That led President Joe Biden, whose administration helped dealer the tentative contract that was provided to union rank-and-file in September, to name on Congress to cross laws forcing the unions to simply accept the tentative settlement.

“With out the knowledge of a ultimate vote to keep away from a shutdown this week, railroads will start to halt the motion of important supplies like chemical substances to wash our consuming water as quickly as this weekend,” Biden mentioned in a press release after Wednesday’s Home votes.

The measures nonetheless must cross the Senate earlier than heading to Biden, who has promised to signal them.

The votes put Democrats – together with Biden, who likes to name himself probably the most pro-union president in historical past – within the uncomfortable place of forcing union members to work below a contract they’d rejected. However most mentioned the financial affect of a strike was too nice to not act, they usually clung to the paid go away measure as cowl.

“Whereas I don’t imagine the tentative settlement goes far sufficient, the votes as we speak keep away from a devastating financial shutdown and supply an extra seven days of paid go away for rail employees,” mentioned Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, who mentioned the Biden administration ought to have pushed more durable for sick go away within the tentative settlement.

Arizona’s Home delegation break up on occasion traces on Home Concurrent Decision 119, which known as for seven days of paid sick go away, with all 5 Democrats supporting it and all 4 Republicans opposing it. The total Home voted 221-207 for the invoice, with simply three Republicans crossing the aisle to vote with Democrats in assist.

Home Joint Decision 100, which might pressure the tentative settlement on the employees to avert a strike, drew 79 Republicans, who joined 211 Democrats to approve it by a 290-137 vote.

In Arizona, Republican Reps. Andy Biggs of Gilbert and David Schweikert of Fountain Hills voted in opposition to the measure. They didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark Wednesday, however Biggs, like many Republicans, took the chance to criticize Biden on Twitter.

“Congress mustn’t must bail out Joe Biden’s failed negotiations with railroad unions,” Biggs tweeted earlier than the vote Wednesday. “A lot for him being probably the most ‘pro-union’ president in American historical past.”

Biden appointed a Presidential Emergency Board to work with unions and railroads on a tentative contract. That proposal included a 24% pay elevate and was signed off on by leaders of all 12 unions, however was rejected by members in subsequent votes – apparently over the shortage of paid go away.

“The true large stickler amongst many people that had been voting on this contract, that what they didn’t handle, the sick time, all we had been getting was at some point,” mentioned state Rep. Richard Andrade, D-Glendale, who can also be a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.

Andrade mentioned he was not shocked by the Home vote – “We knew this was going to occur” – however nonetheless known as it “unhappy that Congress, that they must try this, however that’s the place we’re at.”

“There’s no approach on the earth, the president or Congress permits us to go on strike,” mentioned Andrade, who works for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail yard in Winslow.

“I imply, company greed has taken over. They usually’re attempting to get us to do extra with much less from working longer trains, with much less crews, to not having any day off,” he mentioned. “And that is what we’ve at all times mentioned – this isn’t in regards to the pay, 24% pay elevate is nice.”

Like many Democrats, Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Tucson, cited her assist for the added go away in HR 119.

“Immediately, I voted so as to add seven days sick go away to the rail settlement as a result of employees on this nation need to be handled with dignity and respect,” Kirkpatrick mentioned in a press release. “I’m hopeful the Senate will do the best factor and retain the extra sick go away, in any other case we’re leaving a few of America’s important workforce out to dry in these negotiations.”

Grijalva vowed to “proceed to struggle to make sure we shield collective bargaining rights and champion paid go away for employees throughout each trade.”

Andrade mentioned there’s not a lot employees can do at this level besides watch the Senate, which he hopes will reject the bundle in order that the Presidential Emergency Board can resume talks.

“It’s such as you’re watching the practice coming into the station, and there’s nothing you are able to do about it to cease it from coming into the station,” Andrade mentioned.