Political Quotes

“today I am introducing a very important piece of legislation, the Surface Transportation Board Improvement Act, which is aimed at correcting an injustice for railroad workers, shippers and anyone who have a contractual relationship with a railroad. Basically, my bill would end the onerous procedure of the Surface Transportation Board to override, modify, or cancel collective bargaining agreements between railroads and their employees. Collective bargaining agreements go to the very essence of the labor relations process. They are the result of hard-fought deliberations between labor and management, and of a give-and-take process which often results in no winners or losers. While the process is not perfect, collective bargaining agreements do not come lightly and they should be honored-- not subject to change by a federal agency. In 1920, Congress determined that railroad mergers and consolidations should be subject to exclusive federal jurisdiction through the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC).”