[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 186 (Thursday, December 1, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6919-S6920]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                    Railway Labor Management Dispute

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, yesterday, the House of Representatives 
passed a joint resolution that will ensure our railroads continue to 
operate and our economy continues to function as the holiday season 
commences.
  Last night, I invoked rule XIV to place that resolution directly onto 
the legislative Calendar. Senators are working morning, noon, and night 
to reach an agreement for us to act on this measure ASAP. The Senate 
cannot leave until we get the job done, and Democrats will keep working 
with Republicans to find a path forward that everyone can support.
  One of my top priorities is holding a vote to provide rail workers 
with the paid sick leave many of them have asked for. I support paid 
sick leave. My Democratic colleagues support paid sick leave, and 
we want to see it included in the package. We hope some of our 
Republican colleagues will join us.

  Forcing workers to choose between their health and their livelihoods 
is unacceptable, and for that reason, Democrats--myself included--think 
it should be included.
  One thing is certain--one thing is certain--time is of the essence. A 
rail shutdown is set to begin December 9, but the truth is, we need to 
resolve this impasse well in advance of that date.
  Suppliers and businesses across the Nation are going to begin 
shutting down operations soon if they think a strike is imminent. They 
are not going to wait until December 9. They are not going to put 
something on a railcar in Seattle on December 7 that may be stuck in 
Peoria on December 9 because there is a rail strike, even when it is 
headed, say, to the East Coast. So for the suppliers and businesses, 
the date, the drop-dead date, if you will, before damage occurs is a 
lot sooner than December 9. And there would be painful disruptions to 
the economy before December 9 if we didn't act soon.
  The consequences of inaction would be severe: unsafe drinking water, 
unusable gasoline, shuttered powerplants, and a crippling shutdown of 
passenger rail across the country. And those are just a few of the 
myriad of problems, serious problems, that would occur if there is a 
rail shutdown.
  In that scenario, nobody wins; everybody loses. So the responsible 
thing to do here is to move forward and do everything we can to include 
paid sick leave. Again, we must keep working until the task is 
complete.

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