after threatening them with their livelihoods and retirement yes, he gave them a small amount of what they were demanding
not a victory and he is not a champion of worker’s rights
Presidential Emergency Board
In July 2022, a Presidential Emergency Board was convened under the Railway Labor Act by President Joe Biden.[11] His Executive order stated, “I have been notified by the National Mediation Board that in its judgment these disputes threaten substantially to interrupt interstate commerce to a degree that would deprive a section of the country of essential transportation service.”[12]
The board issued a report on August 16, starting a 30-day cooling off period that prevents any strikes or lockouts.[6] Reuters reported that the board proposed “annual wage increases of between 4% and 7% through 2024” in addition to retroactive pay increases, one extra paid day off and five $1,000 annual bonuses.[13]
By the end of August, three unions representing about 15,000 workers agreed to the recommendations made by the board.[14][15]
On September 14, near the end of the cooling off period, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh hosted negotiations at the Department of Labor between the railroad companies, and unions in an attempt to prevent a strike.[16] The Washington Post reported that Biden was “personally involved in the talks”, wanting workers to have more flexibility in scheduling.[2]
Early on September 15, Biden announced a deal had been reached to prevent a strike, including an immediate 14% wage increase, but only one day of paid leave per year rather than the 15 days of paid sick leave unions wanted.[2][17] The deal still needed to be ratified by rank-and-file members of the unions, however no strike could take place for several weeks regardless of the outcomes of ratification votes.[2]
Congressional intervention
In September 2022, U.S. Senators Richard Burr and Roger Wicker introduced a bill that would have required labor unions to agree to the terms proposed by the Presidential Emergency Board, to prevent a strike.[18] It was blocked by Senator Bernie Sanders, who noted that freight rail workers receive a “grand total of zero sick days” while railroad companies made significant profits.[19] In the House of Representatives, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “We’d rather see negotiations prevail so there’s no need for any actions from Congress.”[16]
In late November, after some unions had rejected the agreement, Biden asked Congress to pass the agreement into law. On November 30, the House of Representatives passed the existing tentative agreement along with an amended version that would require railroad employers to ensure 7 days paid sick leave.[20] On December 1, the Senate passed the tentative agreement with only 1 day of sick leave.[21] President Joe Biden signed the legislation into law on December 2.[4] The Biden administration’s intervention in the dispute was condemned by over 500 labor historians in an open letter to Joe Biden and Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh.[22]