Pelosi says House will take floor vote Wednesday on legislation to avert railroad strike

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday the House will vote Wednesday on legislation to avert a railroad strike that threatens to add to supply chains problems that have already hurt the U.S. economy.

Pelosi spoke at the White House alongside Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer after Congress' top two Democrats met with President Biden.

The president on Monday night asked the Democrat-controlled Congress to intervene after his administration, through the Labor Department, failed to broker a deal between unions for freight rail workers and the railroad industry. 

The legislation is focused on a deal tentatively reached in September.

"It's not everything I would like to see," she said. "I think we should have paid sick leave."

Four of the labor unions involved in the negotiations in recent weeks rejected the deal.

"As a proud pro-labor President, I am reluctant to override the ratification procedures and the views of those who voted against the agreement. But in this case – where the economic impact of a shutdown would hurt millions of other working people and families – I believe Congress must use its powers to adopt this deal," Biden said on Monday.

 

"Some in Congress want to modify the deal to either improve it for labor or for management. However well-intentioned, any changes would risk delay and a debilitating shutdown. The agreement was reached in good faith by both sides," he added.

The final House vote Wednesday will come as early as 9 a.m., Pelosi announced.

Schumer said he and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed that they will try to pass the bill as soon as possible whenever it passes the House.

Earlier, Pelosi described the agreement that would be put up for a vote.

“This week, the House will consider legislation adopting the Tentative Agreement reached in September after months of hard-fought negotiation," she said in a statement released on Monday evening.

"The historic tentative agreement that railroads and railroad workers reached has secured important advances for workers, including a 24 percent raise, no changes in copays, deductibles or coinsurance costs, some time off for routine, preventative and emergency medical care and protecting the two-man crew.

"At the same time, Democrats are continuing to fight for more of railroad workers’ priorities, including paid sick leave."