Environment and Energy
Biden Signs Law to Avert Nationwide Rail Strike
Written by Becca Moczygemba
December 3, 2022
President Joseph Biden on Friday Dec. 2 signed into law a bill aimed at averting a nationwide rail strike.
The law compels railroad unions to accept a tentative agreement reached in September.
The unions opposed the agreement because it did not provide paid sick days. Railroad companies and the unions faced a Dec. 9 deadline to reach a deal, after which point there could have been strike.
The government is authorized to intervene in contract negotiations if a strike might have serious economic impact because of the Railway Labor Act, which was enacted in 1926.
Biden signed the law after the House passed legislation to avert a rail strike on Wednesday. The next day the Senate followed. The swift passage followed concerns that a nationwide strike could hobble the national supply chain and the economy.
Domestic steel lobbying groups had expressed their support for the law because steel relies heavily on the rail system. The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) estimated that railroads moved more than 1.5 million carloads of steel and steelmaking raw materials last year.
By Becca Moczygemba, Becca@SteelMarketUpdate.com
Becca Moczygemba
Read more from Becca MoczygembaLatest in Environment and Energy
EPA deregulation proposals win praise from steel advocates
Two industry groups are applauding two EPA proposals that would support domestic steel production.
Met coal receives critical materials status
The US Department of Energy (DOE) adds metallurgical coal to the nation’s list of Critical Materials, following its designation by US Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright’s announcement on May 22.
May energy market update
An analysis of the North American energy market in May.
House committee blocks GOP budget proposal
The budget proposal has big implications for steel and manufacturing.
Wittbecker: Logic comes to solid waste and recycling economics
We need to address our structural problem with the pricing of solid waste and why we struggle with recycling.