{"id":6488,"date":"2022-11-21T19:40:38","date_gmt":"2022-11-21T19:40:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acmanet.org\/2022\/11\/in-washington-insider-november-23-2022\/"},"modified":"2022-11-21T19:40:38","modified_gmt":"2022-11-21T19:40:38","slug":"in-washington-insider-november-23-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acmanet.org\/in-washington-insider-november-23-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"In Washington – Insider – November 23, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two More Unions Reject Rail Deal, Strike Possible Dec. 5<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The threat of a rail strike increased substantially this week as one of the largest unions, SMART-TD narrowly rejected on November 21 the compromise agreement reached in September with assistance of the Biden Administration.\u00a0 Paid sick leave, which is not guaranteed in the compromise agreement, has emerged as the sticking point with union rank and file members.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SMART-TD is split into two groups, both of which needed to approve the deal. 1,300 yardmasters approved the agreement, while its 28,000 conductor, brakemen, engine service, and yardmen groups failed to ratify the agreement by a margin of less than 1 percent. SMART-TD is the largest union involved in the negotiation, with approximately 31,000 members.\u00a0 BLET, which represents 20,000 engineers and trainmen, ratified the compromise agreement on November 21.\u00a0 These votes follow the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers vote rejecting the compromise agreement last week.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The American Association of Railroads warned that Congress needed to be prepared to act to prevent a strike. \u201cToday, the BLET joined the majority of our unions in approving the largest wage increases in nearly five decades and also paved a path toward greater scheduling predictability for its members,\u201d said AAR President and CEO Ian Jefferies. \u201cRailroads stand ready to reach new deals based upon the PEB framework with our remaining unions, but the window continues to narrow as deadlines rapidly approach. Let\u2019s be clear, if the remaining unions do not accept an agreement, Congress should be prepared to act and avoid a disastrous $2 billion a day hit to our economy.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At this point, 8 unions have agreed to the compromise agreement reached with federal mediators in September, with 4 voting no.\u00a0 However, if any union moves to strike, no unions will cross a picket line.<\/strong>\u00a0 The earliest any union could strike is December 5, with other unions able to strike beginning on December 9, based on rules agreed upon when accepting federal mediation. AAR recently released an <\/span>economic impact study<\/span><\/a> that found a rail strike would create $2 billion a day in economic damage.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pressure is growing on Congress to take action to prevent a rail strike immediately prior to the holiday season.\u00a0 This could include legislation extending the cooling off period to legislation requiring both sides to accept the compromise agreement reached in September.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The most recent status of rail negotiations can be found <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Forced Labor Law Webinar Next Week<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

ACMA will host a members-only webinar next week with experts from the law firm of Arnold & Porter to discuss the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (\u201cUFLPA\u201d), a law that creates a \u201crebuttable presumption\u201d that products made in, or with inputs from, the Xinjiang region of China benefit from forced labor. As China continues to move members of the Uyghur ethnic minority to other areas of the country, this law has growing implications for all companies with supply chains that involve Asia.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Come learn what you need to know on Wednesday, November 30, 2021. Register now<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pelosi Steps Down as Leader, GOP Infighting After Election<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2022 midterm elections defied expectations of a significant Republican victory but are still creating significant change in Washington.\u00a0 After several weeks of silence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she will not seek another term as Democratic leader in the House.\u00a0 In an address to the full House of Representatives that effectively functioned as a retirement speech for her time as Speaker, she reflected on her political career and highlighted legislation completed with three presidents, notably leaving former President Trump off the list. Her full speech can be found <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>. House Democrats vote on their leadership slate November 30.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Republicans also engaged in post-election drama, as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) faced a challenge from Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) for the role of Minority Leader. While McConnell easily won, 10 Republican Senators voted for Scott in the secret ballot process.\u00a0 While a number of Senators would not confirm how they voted, Senators Mike Braun (R-IN), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Josh Howley (R-MO), Ron Johnson (R-WI) confirmed they were among those supporting Scott. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) would not say how they voted.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Separately, House Republicans remain divided over House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) becoming Speaker of the House.\u00a0 The House Freedom Caucus, comprised of some of the most conservative members of the House, opposed Representative McCarthy\u2019s bid, with former chair Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) running for the position as well. Given the narrow Republican majority, McCarthy will need to address this opposition in order to hit the 218 votes needed to become speaker.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

ACMA staff walked members through these issues in a webinar on November 16, which can be viewed here<\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Build America Buy America Waiver Ends<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Department of Transportation announced that the temporary waiver of domestic content would not be extended beyond November 10, 2022, but is considering waivers for de minimis costs, small grants, and minor components.\u00a0 The DOT notice can be found <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stringent domestic content requirements for composite materials in federally funded infrastructure projects will still be covered by yet-to-be finalized guidance from the Biden Administration implementing the Build America, Buy America Act.\u00a0 At present, the Office of Management and Budget simply states that construction materials, which includes composites, must \u201cinclude at least the final manufacturing process and the immediately preceding manufacturing stage\u201d in the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two More Unions Reject Rail Deal, Strike Possible Dec. 5\u00a0 The threat of a rail strike increased substantially this week … <\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIn Washington – Insider – November 23, 2022 - American Composites Manufacturers Association<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/acmanet.org\/in-washington-insider-november-23-2022\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In Washington – Insider – November 23, 2022 - American Composites Manufacturers Association\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Two More Unions Reject Rail Deal, Strike Possible Dec. 5\u00a0 The threat of a rail strike increased substantially this week … Read More\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/acmanet.org\/in-washington-insider-november-23-2022\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Composites Manufacturers Association\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-11-21T19:40:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"matrixsuperadmin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"matrixsuperadmin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/acmanet.org\/in-washington-insider-november-23-2022\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/acmanet.org\/in-washington-insider-november-23-2022\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"matrixsuperadmin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/acmanet.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b29ea709faab895c2eec47cb6a9d8683\"},\"headline\":\"In Washington – Insider – November 23, 2022\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-11-21T19:40:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-11-21T19:40:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/acmanet.org\/in-washington-insider-november-23-2022\/\"},\"wordCount\":886,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/acmanet.org\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Insider\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/acmanet.org\/in-washington-insider-november-23-2022\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/acmanet.org\/in-washington-insider-november-23-2022\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/acmanet.org\/in-washington-insider-november-23-2022\/\",\"name\":\"In Washington – Insider – November 23, 2022 - 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