Monday 19 September 2022 12:44 AM Joe Biden's deal to stave off 'crippling' rail strikes could fall apart trends now
The 'tentative' deal President Joe Biden brokered between US freight rail companies and unions in the hopes of avoiding a massive economic disruption is at risk of collapsing, spelling trouble for the embattled president on the eve of the midterm elections.
Though the deal agreed to raise rail employees' salaries by 24 percent over five years and gave up to $11,000 in bonuses, union leaders said it remains 'intentionally' vague about sick leave and other days off.
Organizer for Railroad Workers United, Ron Kaminkow, said the average rail worker felt 'a lot of anger, confusion and hostility' towards the deal.
The average rail worker put it more bluntly: 'Workers are pissed off and this time we actually have a lot of leverage,' said one locomotive engineer, according to The Hill, 'I know I'm not going to accept anything less than what we deserve.'
Rail workers are scheduled to vote on the deal this Thursday, but if just one of the 12 railroad unions votes against the deal thousands of workers could go on strike and bring commerce to a halt across North America.
Last week's deal only addressed terms put forth by the industry's two largest union groups - the Brotherhood Of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and SMART - and did not meet all of the demands made of other groups.
One of those unrepresented groups is the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, of which 5,000 members voted against another White House proposed deal last month.
The 'tentative' deal President Joe Biden brokered between US freight rail companies and unions in the hopes of avoiding a massive economic disruption is at risk of collapsing, spelling trouble for the embattled president on the eve of the midterm elections
Organizer for Railroad Workers United, Ron Kaminkow, said the average rail worker felt 'a lot of anger, confusion and hostility' towards the deal
Vote counting will last until mid-October, creating a recipe for disaster for Democrats should workers vote against the deal and begin striking.
It has been estimated a railroad strike could cost about $2billion per day in economic by halting the flow of goods, and disrupting passenger rail service, which typically utilizes freight lines.
Professor of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois, Robert Bruno,
