President Joe Biden on Dec. 2 signed legislation that forces rail unions to adopt an agreement, averting a strike by rail workers.
“I know this was a tough vote for members of both parties, it was tough for me,” Biden said before signing the bill. But, he added, he believed it was the right thing to do at the moment.
Bipartisan majorities in both chambers approved the bill this week.
The legislation requires unions representing rail workers to accept tentative agreements that were reached in the fall but were later rejected by workers with multiple unions.
Absent the bill or a fresh deal, the workers could have begun striking on Dec. 9, with some effects beginning to be felt before then as companies prepared for the disruption….