OMAHA, Neb. — The head of the country’s biggest railway union states the report created to aid willpower stalled agreement talks with freight railways doesn’t do enough to address issues about working conditions, even however it recommends 24% raises.
The railways suggested earlier this week that they were allset to hammer out a offer based on the suggestions of the Presidential Emergency Board that Joe Biden selected last month. But Thursday’s veryfirst remarks from union management recommend that the 115,000 employees they represent might not be allset to indication off.
Both sides have 30 days to workout a agreement priorto federal law would enable a strike or lockout to takeplace. But if both sides do get to mid September without an contract, Congress is mostlikely to stepin and enforce terms to prevent a strike.
The suggestions of the advisory were a “vast enhancement” over the railways’ previous propositions, stated Jeremy Ferguson, president of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers — Transportation Division union that represents conductors. But, he included, “the suggestions do not go far enough to offer our members with the quality of life that they haveactually made, and that both they and their households beworthyof.”
The other 11 unions included in the agreement talks sanctuary’t yet commented on the information