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Full transparency, we didn’t know enough about the rail worker situation to comment … until now. Truth be told, when this editor saw ‘207 Republicans’ trending on Twitter and saw that it was the number of Republicans who voted against paid sick leave for rail workers it just didn’t make sense. We thought maybe it was not a stand-alone bill or something Democrats were holding hostage to pass other crap (as they often do), but nope. It was its own thing. Sooo … what the Hell? Turns out, as usual with these things, if Democrats are vilifying Republicans there’s a...

The House on Wednesday passed a measure that would avert a national railroad strike by forcing the adoption of a tentative labor agreement. The vote was 290 to 137. House members also voted 221-207 to approve a separate proposal to provide railroad workers with seven days of paid sick leave, with Democrats in favor and nearly all Republicans opposed. Both measures now go to the Senate. A 1926 law gave Congress the power to intervene in railroad disputes that threaten to disrupt the economy. President Joe Biden on Monday called on Congress to step in–despite his usual pro-labor, pro-union stance–saying,...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is urging Congress to come together in a bipartisan fashion to pass legislation to prevent a looming rail strike that would cripple the American economy, calling it the "best way forward" amid stalled labor negotiations between the major freight railroads and four hold-out unions. Buttigieg's comments came during a Tuesday evening interview with Fox News Digital at the Memphis International Airport, where he touted a $174 million investment from the Department of Transportation (DOT) for the production of de-icing pads at the facility "Where I hope to see it going is bipartisan cooperation...

On Tuesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Hannity,” House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) accused President Joe Biden of lying when he claimed that a rail strike had been averted back in September and now is begging Congress to avert a strike and “take the bill up tomorrow when people have not even read it.” McCarthy said President Biden called the leaders to the White House because he “intentionally misled us. He said he had a rail strike solved…in September, when he knew that he didn’t want the American public to know before the election that he didn’t....

President Joe Biden risks alienating some of his strongest supporters as the White House and congressional leaders look to avert a devastating rail strike before the holidays. Biden, who often calls himself the most pro-union president in history, is now working to prevent a rail strike by using century-old legislation to end negotiations on terms multiple rail unions have rejected. “As a proud pro-labor president, I am reluctant to override the ratification procedures and the views of those who voted against the agreement,” Biden said in a statement. “But in this case, where the economic impact of a shutdown would...

A looming railroad strike is threatening to shut down much of the nation’s commerce, creating an economic and humanitarian disaster, and Joe Biden is finally making moves to prevent it. What’s his solution? He’s taking the coward’s way out, calling for Congress to put union workers in their place despite the fact that they make up a large percentage of the Democratic Party base. That’s going over about as well as you’d imagine. A fair warning that the language in the following posts is a bit frosty, but it represents the anger being shown. ... Full sellout from the White...

In September, President Biden called his administration's work with railroad companies and a dozen unions to avert a nationwide rail strike a "win for America." That supposedly winning deal unraveled last week when America's largest rail union voted to reject the deal. And now, after Biden and the White House told contradicting tales about how involved the president was in the latest attempt to negotiate a deal, he's thrown in the towel and admitted defeat in his efforts that saw him ultimately botch another attempt at leadership. In a statement on Monday evening, President Biden announced that he was "calling...

President Joe Biden on Monday asked Congress to pass legislation to reach an agreement between railroad workers and management after he failed to reach an agreement. “I am calling on Congress to pass legislation immediately to adopt the Tentative Agreement between railroad workers and operators – without any modifications or delay – to avert a potentially crippling national rail shutdown,” Biden wrote in a statement issued by the White House. Biden admitted in the statement his advisors and cabinet officials believed there was “no path to resolve the dispute at the bargaining table,” despite his and his administration’s best efforts.

President Biden called on Congress Monday to step in to prevent a potential rail strike that threatens an economic nightmare before Christmas after key unions voted to reject a deal brokered by the White House earlier this year. “I am calling on Congress to pass legislation immediately to adopt the Tentative Agreement between railroad workers and operators – without any modifications or delay – to avert a potentially crippling national rail shutdown,” the president said in a statement, adding that his administration believes “there is no path to resolve the dispute at the bargaining table.” The deal Biden wants to...

As a possible rail way strike looms, the U.S. industry braces for impact. One of the biggest rail unions rejected a deal earlier this week failing to approve contracts over concerns about demanding schedules and the lack of paid sick time. Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) is warning American consumers that it is “highly likely” a strike will happen in the midst of the busy holiday season. “I think it’s highly likely,” Hagerty said, adding “I mean, you hit the nail on the head. The union bosses basically forced their union members to buck up and accept this deal just to...

During an interview aired on Friday’s edition of the Fox Business Network’s “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street,” Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) said he believes there is a “highly likely” chance there will be a rail strike in the middle of the holidays. Host Maria Bartiromo asked, “The president tried to act as if he had some kind of a tentative deal before the midterm elections, but we now know that four of the unions have rejected a deal which gave them, by the way, a 24% raise, but only one paid sick day. Senator, what is the likelihood that we have...

On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) stated that Secretary of State Pete Buttigieg hasn’t had enough involvement in trying to avert a potential rail strike, which, along with rising diesel costs, “will be a one-two shot to an already struggling economy.” Waltz said that in addition to the cost of gas spiking if there’s a rail strike, “the cost of diesel is through the roof as well. You know, the average trucker used to spend 300, $400 to fill up his rig. Now, he’s spending over $1,000, and this will be...

Start spreading the poop: New Yorkers may get stuck with 2.4 million pounds per day of their own excrement if a national rail strike occurs. Normally, the trains that transport human waste from New York City wind up in landfills across the South, but the tentative deal that the Biden administration brokered between the rail workers and railroad companies came asunder on Monday. “We are working closely with our contracted vendors and are prepared to do all that we can in a worst-case scenario, but let me be clear: a prolonged disruption of the rail network for trash removal represents...

A national freight rail strike is viewed as increasingly inevitable as four rail worker labor unions have rejected a tentative agreement with rail companies. In September, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh brokered a tentative deal between rail unions and rail carriers while President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg were out of town. Union concerns centered around sick time and scheduling, and Walsh’s work appeared to have avoided a strike that had the potential for far-reaching consequences on the American economy. However, the deal has fallen to pieces, and the clock is ticking as a December 9 strike looms.

It looks like the trains may stop running on time for Christmas. On Monday, the SMART Transportation Division (SMART-TD), the largest railroad union in the country, narrowly voted down a contract offered by the White House. That means the possibility of a strike just in time for the holiday season. The SMART Transportation Division, or SMART-TD, which represents about 28,000 conductors, rejected the contract in a vote that garnered record turnout, the union said Monday. The contract was nixed by a slim margin, as just 50.8% of workers voted against it. The second-largest rail union, made up of engineers, voted...

New York CNN Business — The threat of a freight railroad strike has been pushed back to early December, as four major unions have agreed to coordinate the date on which they could potentially go on strike.The third-largest railroad union, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employe Division, had been prepared to strike as soon as November 20, the Sunday before Thanksgiving. But the group announced Wednesday that is has agreed to extend negotiations with the railroads until at least December 4, the deadline set by another union, the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen. The rank and file members of both...

The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB) announced Monday its members voted against ratifying a tentative agreement with the major freight railroads, making IBB the third labor group to turn down the deal brokered by the Biden administration and upping the chances of a nationwide strike. The IBB said in a statement that it has now entered a "cooling off" period and plans to continue to negotiate further with the National Carriers' Conference Committee (NCCC), which represents the nation's largest railroads, including BNSF, CSX, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific. IBB joins the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS) and the Brotherhood of...

National Republicans targeted more than half a dozen races in New England as pickup opportunities this year, but they picked up none. Six congressional races, one Senate race, and one gubernatorial race all stayed Democrat despite Republicans’ financial investments, as well as polling and hype of a “red wave,” suggesting the GOP had a valid chance of winning them.

Commuters and visiting tourists faced serious disruptions on Thursday as metro workers in Paris went on strike, with a third of lines completely closed and most others working only at peak hours. "It's very complicated, there's no transport," said commuter Claude Miamo, a receptionist. She had waited a long time to find a train to get into Paris, only to find her metro line closed. "I'm going to take an Uber, it's an additional expense but I have no choice, I have to go to work." The CGT union had called on workers nationwide to walk off the job in...

A perfect storm is taking place in the diesel market, with dwindling diesel reserves, a drought on the Mississippi River pushing more product to rail and truck, and a possible rail strike leading to a surge in prices that is expected to continue. Diesel prices have increased by 33% for November deliveries. “The national average price for diesel today is $5.30 per gallon and is expected to go up 15 to 20 cents in the next few weeks,” said Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates, LLC. Reserves for diesel this time of year have not been this low since...