In a statement, President Biden said that the deal would guarantee better pay, improved working conditions, and peace of mind around health care costs. The president also called the agreement “an important win for our economy and the American people”.
According to an official from the Department of Labor, the deal “balances the needs of workers, businesses, and our nation’s economy”.
Negotiators originally had until Friday at 12:01 a.m. to reach a deal to avoid a major impact to the economy.
The two railroad unions were fighting for more quality-of-life provisions to be put into the contract, covering attendance policies, and vacation and sick days.
The details of the tentative agreement have not been released.
Commuters like Sheeba Banks are relieved to hear the news. “That’s awesome, I’m glad to hear that,” she said. “We really need them on the track in order for us to keep going. Because if they would have shut down the economic impact from it would have been horrendous so I’m glad they reached a settlement.”
Fellow commuter Marty Williams said, “I’m extremely thrilled. I’m glad to see that people will be able to get where they are going and things won’t slow down hopefully. So, I’m looking forward to things kind of getting more and more back to normal.”
For the White House’s full statement, visit https://bit.ly/3UbkAO9
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