Lawmakers in the US House of Representatives voted Wednesday to prevent a potentially catastrophic freight rail strike, stepping in to break an impasse between workers and executives during a critical pre-holiday period.. Graves said he was voting on the resolution to avert an "economically ruinous" rail strike as he blamed the Biden administration for the issue, saying it had "failed" to lead on the impasse. jmb/mlm

Lawmakers in the US House of Representatives voted Wednesday to prevent a potentially catastrophic freight rail strike, stepping in to break an impasse between workers and executives during a critical pre-holiday period.

The bill effectively forces hold-out unions to accept a September deal on increased wages, which a majority of unions had already agreed to.

The House measure -- which passed with decisive bipartisan support -- now moves to the Senate.

Should the bill ultimately clear Congress and reach President Joe Biden's desk for his signature, it would avert a strike that could have cost the US economy an estimated $2 billion per day.

The Biden administration had taken a hands-on approach to the long-running deadlock over a contract between organized labor and railroads, with cabinet secretaries participating in all-night negotiations in September alongside union leaders and rail executives.

After that marathon session, leaders from the two sides announced a tentative agreement.

Since that time, members of eight of the 12 rail unions approved the deal,...

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