NRF Hails WH Creation of Emergency Board to Avert Sept. Rail Strike
The National Retail Federation applauded President Joe Biden’s executive order Friday creating a presidential emergency board of independent arbitrators, effective Monday, to help bring labor peace to major U.S. rail freight carriers and their unions. Thousands of retailers and other…
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enterprises rely on rail freight carriers to move goods through the supply chain, said NRF Senior Vice President-Government Relations David French. “Now that we are in the peak shipping season for back-to-school and winter holiday merchandise,” it’s critical that freight railroads and their unions reach agreement on a new labor contract “without any kind of rail service disruption this fall,” he said Friday. The board will “provide a structure for workers and management to resolve their disagreements,” said the White House Friday. The board will issue a report within 30 days recommending how the dispute should be resolved, it said. The EO triggers a new 30-day cooling-off period to keep the parties working toward a negotiated settlement, said the White House. The existing cooling-off period expired Sunday. NRF CEO Matthew Shay wrote Biden July 6 urging him to appoint a board to avert a possible rail strike in September (see 2207070001).