Biden Signs EO to Address Rail Carriers, Unions Dispute
President Joe Biden on July 15 signed an executive order establishing an emergency board to help resolve ongoing disputes between freight rail carriers and their unions. The board will provide union workers and management a “structure” to address their disagreements, the White House said, and will issue a report within 30 days recommending how the disputes should be resolved. “The President’s goal is to make sure America’s freight rail system continues to run without disruption, delivering the items that our families, communities, farms and businesses rely on,” the White House said. The emergency board will begin work July 18.
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The White House warned that the disputes have the potential to “substantially … interrupt interstate commerce to a degree that would deprive a section of the country of essential transportation service." Both the U.S. and Canada are experiencing significant rail congestion caused by backlogs at the Port of Los Angeles and elsewhere (see 2207140062). If the disputes aren’t resolved, they could lead to a work stoppage later this summer, the Congressional Research Service said in a July 11 report.