Daily Briefing: What is the railroad strike of 2022?

Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY
·6 min read

Rail workers are poised to strike as early as Dec. 9 despite efforts by Congress to deescalate a labor dispute that threatens an economic disaster. Also in the news: President Joe Biden's first state dinner and USA TODAY investigates migrant worker deaths in the building of Qatar's World Cup tournament.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. My top song of 2022 on Spotify is "Work Out" by Rainbow Kitten Surprise. Here's how to find yours.

Welcome to December. Let's dive into Thursday's news. 

What is the railroad strike of 2022?

Rail unions are headed toward a strike over pay and grievances from members that working conditions are grueling and not conducive to a life off the job. With a Dec. 9 deadline looming, Congress reluctantly inserted itself in the dispute this week to stave off a strike that would cost the economy $2 billion per day. But some of the unions have rejected the deal and the disagreement is poised to escalate.

What this means: Much of the country's goods still travel by freight train. Ahead of the holiday season, a halt in the shipment of food products and other critical goods could debilitate the economy.

  • What rail workers want: The railroad unions are asking freight and railway companies for a pay increase, as well as better working conditions, including paid time off and a more flexible schedule.

  • Congress took "urgent action" to quell a strike:  At Biden's urging, the House overwhelmingly passed legislation this week that would adopt a tentative deal reached in September between union leaders and freight operators. Unions representing rail workers have since rejected the deal, setting up the impending work stoppage.

Four of the 12 unions representing rail workers have voted to reject the five-year agreement, which was intended to avoid a shutdown of the nation's freight rail system.
Four of the 12 unions representing rail workers have voted to reject the five-year agreement, which was intended to avoid a shutdown of the nation's freight rail system.

Biden's first state dinner

French President Emmanuel Macron, in a three-day state visit to the U.S., will hold a bilateral meeting Thursday with President Joe Biden. The meeting will be followed by a joint press conference. Later today, Biden and first lady Jill Biden will host Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, for the Biden administration’s first state dinner – a black-tie event that will feature a live performance from singer Jon Batiste. The French leader has raised concerns with U.S. lawmakers about the administration's climate policies giving American companies an unfair advantage in the budding green energy sector. Read more

French President Emmanuel Macron, left, and Vice President Kamala Harris speak during a meeting to highlight space cooperation between the two countries, at NASA headquarters in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) ORG XMIT: DCAB112
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, and Vice President Kamala Harris speak during a meeting to highlight space cooperation between the two countries, at NASA headquarters in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) ORG XMIT: DCAB112

More news to know now

🌤 What's the weather coming up this weekend? Check your local forecast here.

At least 2 killed as tornadoes, wild storms march across Southeast

More than 20 possible tornadoes slashed through the Southeast, killing at least two people Wednesday and damaging homes as a line of intense weather rolled from Texas to Georgia and as far north as Indiana. The National Weather Service issued more than 70 tornado warnings across a swath of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana on Tuesday and Wednesday as storms slammed the region with heavy rains, high winds and large hail.

Eutaw Police Chief Tommy Johnson surveys the damage to one of the buildings in the Sagewood Apartments complex in Eutaw, Ala. on Nov. 30, 2022, the day after a small tornado hit the town located in Greene County. No injuries were reported from the storm.
Eutaw Police Chief Tommy Johnson surveys the damage to one of the buildings in the Sagewood Apartments complex in Eutaw, Ala. on Nov. 30, 2022, the day after a small tornado hit the town located in Greene County. No injuries were reported from the storm.

Migrant workers were deceived and died for Qatar's World Cup

Millions of migrants who worked in Qatar in the lead-up to the World Cup aren't thinking about the players or tens of thousands of screaming fans. As teams enter the second week of play, migrant workers and other activists are continuing to call attention to the true human toll of the controversial tournament. While the Qatari government admits to dozens of deaths among migrants working on World Cup projects, human rights groups say thousands died to make the games possible. Read more

  • Learn more: Millions of migrants from East Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia have flocked to Qatar for work since FIFA chose it as the site of the World Cup in 2010. Many say they've been injured, robbed of wages, subjected to forced labor and more to make the games possible. Some have even died.

  • FIFA named the first all-women officiating crew for a men's World Cup match.

A migrant worker sleeps on a bench before his early morning shift, in front of Khalifa International Stadium, which will host matches during FIFA World Cup 2022, in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022.
A migrant worker sleeps on a bench before his early morning shift, in front of Khalifa International Stadium, which will host matches during FIFA World Cup 2022, in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022.

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Many nursing homes are poorly staffed. How do they get away with it?

Having enough nurses and aides is the strongest predictor of whether nursing home residents will thrive, but many nursing homes are understaffed. President Joe Biden has proposed the most ambitious nursing home reforms in decades, including the creation of nationwide staffing minimums, but a USA TODAY investigation found current guidelines aren’t being met, and facilities are rarely punished for it. Read more 

🛑 Can't read this story about nursing homes? That's because it's subscriber-only. If you'd like to access more stories like this one, please consider joining our subscriber community.

Nursing home workers, home care workers and supporters march through the streets pushing flower covered hospital beds and wheelchairs as they block traffic in downtown Sacramento, Calif., in June 2022. The march was held to bring attention to what they call is the workforce crisis that has left nursing homes understaffed, workers disabled and compromised the care for elderly and disabled residents.

📷 Photo of the day: Mauna Loa volcano, largest in the world, erupts in Hawaii 📷

The first eruption in 38 years of the world’s largest active volcano is attracting onlookers to a national park for “spectacular” views of the event, and it's also dredging up bad memories among some Hawaii residents who have been through harrowing volcanic experiences in the past. Read more

Click here to see more photos of the volcano's eruption.

People watch the glow from lava erupting from Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022 in Hilo, Hawaii.
People watch the glow from lava erupting from Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022 in Hilo, Hawaii.

One more thing

Britain's Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales, right, laugh during the second half of an NBA basketball game between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Britain's Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales, right, laugh during the second half of an NBA basketball game between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note, shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Macron, rail strike, Qatar, World Cup, tornado: Daily Briefing

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