美国国家公共电台 NPR--One union's rejection of a tentative rail deal puts the agreement in jeopardy

One union's rejection¹ of a tentative rail deal puts the agreement in jeopardy²

Transcript³

A key rail union has voted against a deal brokered⁵ by the Biden administration, but talks continue to try to avert⁶ a strike next month. We look at what's at stake.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

Last month, a possible rail worker strike threatened the economy before the White House brokered a tentative deal.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

The 12 unions that represent about 115,000 workers are now voting on that agreement, and they all have to say yes for it to actually become an agreement. And this week, one of them said no deal.

MARTINEZ: NPR's politics reporter Ximena Bustillo joins us now to tell us what this means for the agreement. So we all knew it wasn't necessarily a done deal, but, Ximena, what happened?

XIMENA BUSTILLO, BYLINE⁷: I mean, there was always the risk that unions could vote against it. Even after the deal was reached, some members were still picketing⁸. The thing to remember is that there are 12 different unions here involved in the rail system, and each individual union has to vote to accept or reject the deal. The first four unions voted yes. But the deal did not address a major sticking point for many of the workers, which is the very strict limits on sick leave and other absence policies. And this is just one of the reasons the Brotherhood⁹ of Maintenance of Way Employees union voted no. And it's a really big union, too, representing more than 11,000 workers.

MARTINEZ: And, you know, I remember President Biden taking a bit of a victory lap over this deal, but now it looks like he'll have to walk it back?

BUSTILLO: Well, last month, we saw members of Biden's Cabinet help broker⁴ this specific tentative deal. Things had stalled after months of negotiations¹⁰, so Labor¹¹ Secretary Marty Walsh worked literally¹² through the night with unions and management. And here's what the president said from the Rose Garden the morning after they came to a tentative deal.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Together, we reached an agreement. You reached an agreement that will keep our critical rail system working and avoid disruptions of our economy.

BUSTILLO: This was really important for him because the midterm elections are coming up, and he didn't want a big strike that could make some goods hard to find or more expensive.

MARTINEZ: All right, so what happens now? I mean, are we looking at a strike now?

BUSTILLO: Well, the union's rejection of the tentative agreement means that now they're in what's called a status quo period. So it's back to the bargaining table for this one union. The union has already reached out to management to renegotiate the lack of paid sick leave. Here's the union's chief negotiator, Peter Kennedy.

PETER KENNEDY: We're going to go back to the table, and we're going to talk to the railroads about increased paid sick days because our members have made it very clear to us that the lack of paid sick days is a very significant issue for them.

BUSTILLO: The group that represents the railroads for bargaining said in a statement that it's disappointed, but they also said that there's no immediate¹³ risk of disruption. These talks can go on for some time, and the union can't strike before November 19, so it really is not an immediate threat. Meanwhile, voting for the seven other unions is expected to last into next month. Kennedy also told me that it is customary for all railroads to strike if one of them does, even if all the other ones reach a deal. But there's no telling in this case if they all would. And he said their goal is not to strike; everyone wants to reach a deal before then.

MARTINEZ: All right, so November 19 - that's the date to keep in mind. What's on the line here for getting an agreement?

BUSTILLO: Yeah, we have to remember that railroads transport 30 to 40% of goods in this country. When this issue first became a threat last month, there were major concerns over food and agriculture products because it would have coincided with harvest season. A November strike is not any better. It comes right ahead of the holiday season. The White House is also downplaying this vote. They say that there's still lots of time to reach a deal and that there is no immediate risk of a strike. Also on the line is the president's reputation for being pro-labor. He has long touted¹⁴ his support for unions and thanks union workers for helping¹⁵ him win the election. So this is a big test and also a test of his ability to fix supply chains and address inflation. So there's a lot on the line.

MARTINEZ: NPR's Ximena Bustillo. Thanks a lot.

BUSTILLO: Thank you.

1 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

2 jeopardy   

n.危险；危难

参考例句：

• His foolish behaviour may put his whole future in jeopardy.他愚蠢的行为可能毁了他一生的前程。
• It is precisely at this juncture that the boss finds himself in double jeopardy.恰恰在这个关键时刻，上司发现自己处于进退两难的境地。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

5 brokered   

adj.由权力经纪人安排（或控制）的v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的过去式和过去分词 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• a peace plan brokered by the UN 由联合国出面协商的和平计划
• Your husband brokered the deal to go in, transfrer the assets and get our man out. 你丈夫后来插了一脚，把生意都抢了过去，我们的人也被挤了出来。 来自电影对白

6 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 picketing   

[经] 罢工工人劝阻工人上班，工人纠察线

参考例句：

• mass picketing of the factory 罢工工人集体对工厂的封锁
• "And my chaps were also there to prevent picketing! “我的人也是防着女工们要拦厂！ 来自子夜部分

9 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

10 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

11 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

12 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

13 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

14 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

15 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。