From Politico: Biden administration jumps into rail, union talks hoping to avert strike
A work stoppage threatens more snarls in the country’s supply chain and fuel for inflation.
By ELEANOR MUELLER and TANYA SNYDER
Labor Secretary Marty Walsh participated in a meeting Wednesday between the National Mediation Board, the country’s largest rail carriers and eight unions in hopes of preventing a strike, a DOL spokesperson confirmed to POLITICO.
The involvement of the NMB and now Walsh himself indicates how seriously the Biden administration is taking the threat of a railroad strike, which could come as soon as next week. It’s also a sign that contract negotiations between the employers and the organizations that represent their roughly 150,000 workers are not going as well as the White House may have hoped.