Joe Biden signs bill axing rail-worker sick days plea before royals meeting

 President Biden signed legislation Friday forcing railway unions to accept a labor agreement despite worker objections to a lack of paid sick days - hours before hobnobbing with visiting British royals. Biden calls himself the "most pro-union president" in history but asked Congress to intervene Monday, saying the US economy could not bear a railway shutdown

Biden signed the bill after breakingred talks between railway management and representatives of 12 unions.

• "The bill I'm about to sign ends a difficult rail dispute and helps our nation avoid what without a doubt would have been an economic catastrophe at a very bad time on the calendar," Biden said before signing it.

Biden blew it

• He had the opportunity to prove his labor-friendly pedigree to millions of workers by simply asking Congress for legislation to end the threat of a national strike on terms more favorable to workers.
• Unfortunately, he could not bring himself to advocate for a lousy handful of sick days.

The House of Representatives approved the bill Wednesday in a 290-137 vote, with all but eight mostly left-wing Democrats joining 79 GOP dissenters.

• The Senate passed it 80-15 on Thursday, with 10 Republicans, four Democrats and socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (i-Vt.) opposed.

Biden inflate some of the details in the pact

• incorrectly claiming it would give workers a "43-45%" pay raise when in fact raises would be 24%, and claiming that "13 or 14" unions were involved with only four dissenters.
• The labor deal also gives workers $5,000 bonuses retroactive to 2020 - meaning the average employee could get an immediate payout of $11,000.

Some Republican opponents of the legislation described the impasse as an opportunity to re-cast the Republican Party as the champion of workers, rather than long-time union-affiliated Democrats like Biden

• Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who aligns with former President Donald Trump's economic populism, said Thursday, "Today the Senate had a chance to stand up for railroad workers who frequently risk their lives and health on the job, just trying to support their families." Instead, the Senate sided with Joe Biden."

https://nypost.com/2022/12/02/biden-to-meet-prince-william-after-signing-bill-to-crush-rail-worker-plea-for-sick-days/