‘Right thing to do in the moment’: Biden signs bill averting Christmas rail strike
Christian Datoc
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President Joe Biden signed the just-passed bill averting a national rail road strike into law Friday, calling the agreement “the right thing to do” even though it excluded increased paid sick leave for rail workers.
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Biden specifically thanked Democrats and Republicans for “avoiding a catastrophic rail strike” before the holidays and “keeping our economy on a stable footing.”
“Our nation’s rail system is literally the backbone of our supply chain, as you all well know, and so much of what we rely on is delivered by rail, from clean water to food and gas and every other good. A rail shutdown would have devastated our economy,” Biden stated, estimating that a strike would have put nearly 800,000 Americans, “many of them union members themselves,” out of work “within the first two weeks of the strike alone.”
“Look, I know this bill doesn’t have paid sick leave,” the president continued. “These rail workers and frankly every worker in America deserves, but that fight isn’t over.”
“I’ve supported paid sick leave for a long time,” he concluded. “I’m going to continue that fight until we succeed.”
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You can watch Biden’s remarks in full below.
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