Labor Sec’y Walsh: ‘I Didn’t Really Get Involved’ in Rail Talks until They Were Largely Done and That Was Bad for Workers

On Friday’s broadcast of Bloomberg’s “The Open,” Labor Secretary Marty Walsh stated that it ended up being bad for the rail unions that he wasn’t really involved in rail negotiations “until pretty much they were 80% through negotiations, meaning they were not able to get deals done.”

Walsh said, “The difference is, the companies in the dockworkers came to the table at the beginning of the negotiation, not halfway through it.”

He added, “Unfortunately, for the rail unions, I didn’t really get involved until pretty much they were 80% through negotiations, meaning they were not able to get deals done. I got involved a little bit there, then the unions came and asked the president to put the PEB (Presidential Emergency Board) on the board and they were able to negotiate stuff. And on the port negotiation, I’ve been in it from the beginning, meaning I’ve had conversations with the companies. I’m in regular contact with the companies on the west coast. I’m in regular contact with the unions on the west coast, just to make sure that they’re moving forward and I think that the relationships are a little different than between the rail companies and the rail workers’ unions.”

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