National Railway Strike Blocked Ahead Of Holidays: What It Means In MD

MARYLAND — After some of the largest railroad unions last week rejected a deal brokered by President Joe Biden in September, putting the country again on course for a national freight strike that could disrupt commuter rail service and paralyze parts of Maryland’s economy ahead of the holidays, the U.S. Senate has stepped in.

The Senate on Thursday voted 80-15 to pass a bill binding rail companies and workers to a proposed settlement that was reached between the railroads and union leaders. That settlement had been rejected by some of the 12 unions involved, creating the possibility of a strike beginning Dec. 9.

The Senate vote came one day after the House voted to impose the agreement. The measure now goes to President Joe Biden's desk for his signature, expected by the weekend. Biden defended the contract that four of the unions had rejected, noting the wage increases it contains.

U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said he voted in favor of legislation to avert a national rail shutdown and economic impact, and also voted to provide rail workers with seven days of paid sick leave.

“Shutting down our nation’s railways would have drastic consequences for our communities – jeopardizing supply chains that stock our grocery store shelves, ensure clean drinking water for our residents, deliver gasoline to the pumps, and provide power to our cities and towns – in addition to wreaking havoc on the commutes of thousands of Marylanders," Van Hollen said in a statement. "That’s why today, I voted in favor of the bipartisan legislation to prevent such a shutdown.

Railroad workers are critical to keeping the country moving, he said.

"It’s outrageous that rail companies are refusing to provide their workers the sick leave they deserve – no one should be fired for taking time off when they’re ill. Our country cannot take these workers for granted, and providing them – and all Americans – with paid sick leave is imperative. I voted in favor of the measure to extend paid sick leave for our railroad workers, and I was deeply disappointed that it did not pass."

Critics say the contract that did not receive backing from enough union members lacked sufficient levels of paid leave for rail workers. Biden said he wants paid leave for "everybody" so that it wouldn't have to be negotiated in employment contracts, but Republican lawmakers have blocked measures to require time off work for medical and family reasons.

The union representing about 28,000 railway conductors — SMART Transportation Division — said its members voted down the deal that includes 24 percent raises by a thin, 50.9 percent margin. The strike deadline is Dec. 5.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, which represents 29,000 people, said last week that 53.5 percent of its members had voted to ratify the deal offered by the coalition of the nation's biggest freight railroads, including Union Pacific, CSX, Norfolk Southern, BNSF and Kansas City Southern.

In rejecting the contract, the conductors’ union said it failed to address demanding schedules and quality of life issues of employees. Seven smaller unions have approved the contract, which on top of the 24 percent pay bump, includes a $5,000 bonus.

A strike would have halted shipments of food and fuel at a cost of $2 billion a day, according to a report earlier this year by the Association of American Railroads, an industry trade group. Supply chain issues are easing, but likely would become tangled again by a strike, according to the report.

The December strike deadline meant Amtrak didn’t see Thanksgiving disruptions. Ahead of the deal on its way to the president, Amtrak hasn’t announced any schedule change, as it did in September when a strike appeared likely.

A potential strike would disrupt service from the Maryland Area Rail Commuter, also known as the MARC train. A strike would affect trains on the Camden and Brunswick lines because of their reliance on CSX Transportation, a freight rail company.

"Since CSX owns and maintains the Camden and Brunswick lines in addition to dispatching MARC trains, any labor strike would result in the immediate suspension of all MARC Camden and Brunswick Line service until a resolution is reached," MARC said on its website in response to the earlier strike threat.

MARC suggested taking these alternate routes if a strike stymied the Camden and Brunswick lines.
The Penn Line would run as scheduled, even if there is a strike, because it shares tracks with Amtrak.

Amtrak owns most of the tracks that it uses in the Northeast Corridor, WTOP said. The passenger railway company previously said routes between Boston, New York and Washington, D.C., would see “no impact.”

Frustrated workers pushed to reject these contracts because they don't resolve workers’ key quality-of-life concerns. The deals for the engineers and conductors did include a promise to try to improve the scheduling of regular days off and negotiate the details of those schedules further at each railroad.

The unions that represent engineers and conductors also received three unpaid days off a year to tend to medical needs as long as they were scheduled at least 30 days in advance.

The railroads also lost out on their bid to cut crew sizes down to one person as part of the negotiations. But the conductors in the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers union still narrowly rejected the deal.

The railroads maintain that the deals with the unions should closely follow the recommendations made this summer by a special panel of arbitrators Biden appointed. That's part of the reason why they don't want to offer paid sick time. Plus, the railroads say the unions have agreed over the years to forgo paid sick time in favor of higher pay and strong short-term disability benefits.

The unions say it is long overdue for the railroads to offer paid sick time to workers, and the pandemic highlighted the need for it.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.