Senate still must approve the action to avoid a crippling rail strike.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation today averting a nationwide rail strike. The bill now heads to the Senate for approval.
President Joe Biden commends House members for their votes to prevent the shutdown but says the Senate must “urgently” pass the legislation. Without Senate approval, rail workers are set to begin a nationwide strike on December 9.
Representatives passed the bill in a 290 to 137 bipartisan vote to impose a tentative contract deal for 115,000 workers across the country. The resolution will need 60 votes to pass the Senate before arriving at Biden’s desk for his signature.
Following that action, the House voted on legislation to give seven days of paid sick leave to railroad employees, which has been a sticking point in negotiations between rail companies and unions. That legislation also passed in a 221 to 207 vote, but it faces uncertainty as it goes to the Senate.
Quick Senate action on the bill, H.J. Res 100, will depend on obtaining unanimous consent to waive days of standard procedural delays on floor votes, Bloomberg reports. Only three Republicans voted for the sick leave measure, which doesn’t bode well for that piece of the resolution to get enough GOP support in the Senate to pass.
The U.S. Grains Council applauds the House on the decision. “The U.S. Grains Council believes the federal government, the railroads and the private sector should work together to assure no shutdown occurs,” says Ryan LeGrand, U.S. Grains Council president and CEO. “Ratifying the tentative agreements already in place is a step in the right direction to coming to a solution agreeable to all parties.”
Still, the ag industry is watching closely as the bill heads to the Senate. “We urge to Senate to act on this bill immediately so that it can be signed into law by the president well in advance of the strike deadline on December 9,” says National Council for Farmer Cooperatives president Chuck Conner.
“We are encouraging farmers and ranchers across the United States to contact their Senators and urge them to support [the resolution],” says Kent Bacus, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association executive director of government affairs.
Any delay in congressional passage of the tentative agreement increases the likelihood of rail service disruptions as railroads begin to embargo certain materials before a potential shutdown. Rail operators are set to slow down operations as soon as this week in preparation for a strike, which will worsen the already crippled supply chain.
