| Railroads and the Economy: An Important Lesson |
Yesterday, the Senate voted to avert a potentially catastrophic rail strike.
To put it plainly, Congress should have never been
involved in these labor negotiations. Had Congress intervened and acted beyond the agreement, it would have set the terrible precedent that big labor
can circumvent the negotiation process and Congress will step in and give them a better deal. If Congress had not intervened, union members would have
gone on strike and brought our economy to a screeching halt just before the holidays.
Reliable rail is essential to Wyoming’s economy.
Nearly all of the coal and trona produced in Wyoming is transported out of state via rail. Most of our agricultural commodity products are exported
via rail too. If a strike were to have happened, these industries would have shut down. Hundreds of families in Wyoming would have been left without a
paycheck.
Families across the U.S. also rely on Wyoming coal to power their homes. Without reliable exports, energy costs would rise, and the
threat of blackouts would have become more real in the coldest winter months.
I urged my colleagues back in September to vote to
quickly bring this disagreement to an end, yet Senator Bernie
Sanders (D-VT) and Senate Democrats objected to enforcing the union and rail companies’ agreement. Instead, they punted and forced the
Senate to grapple with this potential crisis right before the holidays.
Yesterday, Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and I sent a letter to
our Republican colleagues urging them to accept the clean tentative agreement that the rail labor leaders and railroad companies had agreed to this
summer. This agreement includes a 24% wage increase for rail employees, backpay, and other worker benefits that labor union bosses negotiated and
agreed to with railroad companies.
Wyoming relies on rail, and we
appreciate the hard work the thousands of rail workers in our state do every day to keep our economy moving. It is time we put this issue to rest and
start working on healing our economy.
Happy Trails, |
| Legislative Actions:
- I cosponsored Senator
Brian Schatz’s (D-HI) resolution recognizing November as
National Native American Heritage Month to celebrate the heritage and cultures of Native Americans and the contributions of Native Americans to the
United States.
- The rich culture and a strong sense of community of the Eastern Shoshone and
Northern Arapaho people in Wyoming are the backbone of our state, and this resolution gives them the recognition they deserve.
- I wrote a letter to my
fellow Republican Senate colleagues urging them to pass the joint resolution to end the rail strike but to oppose adding in additional sick leave. The
letter was cosigned by Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND).
- A rail strike would cripple Wyoming’s economy, so we must avoid that outcome at all costs.
However, Congress should not be the arbiter of labor negotiations, so adding sick leave to the deal would set a bad precedent.
- I introduced a bill that creates a pilot program to address the lack of truck
parking nationwide.
- Wyoming has consistently had a lack of truck parking which is both an economic and a safety issue. This bill will solve that
issue by expanding our truck parking capacity.
Major Votes:
- Passage of H.J. Res. 100,
the Rail Strike Agreement without added sick leave (60 vote affirmative threshold)
- Supported
- This resolution was passed in the Senate and it averts the catastrophic rail strike that
was about to happen. Our agreement includes a 24% wage increase for rail employees, backpay, and other worker benefits.
Committee Hearings:
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Technology
- Subcommittee on Space and Science hearing titled ,“Landsat at 50 & the Future
of U.S. Satellite-based Earth Observation”
- I
questioned a panel of witnesses about the current presence of orbital debris and what clean up looks like moving forward. To watch my remarks, click
here.
- Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban
Affairs
Floor Activity:
- I gave a speech explaining my vote on the Respect for Marriage Act. Click here to watch.
- I also joined Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) to explain the religious liberty protections in the Respect for Marriage
Act. Click here to watch.
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| Just before Thanksgiving, my staff had the pleasure of attending Governor
Gordon’s Business Forum in Laramie. Over 500 attendees from all around the state joined to talk about current workforce trends, housing, energy,
inflation, market volatility, and educational freedom. Governor Gordon, University of Wyoming President Ed Seidel, Business Alliance Chairman Greg
Pulliam, Wyoming BLM Director Andrew Archuleta, and many others gave updates on what the future of business looks like in the state. The Wyoming
Business Alliance also presented the 2022 Ethical Leadership Award, Legislator of the Year Award, and awards for business success stories. Through the
melding of legislators, educators, and business owners in the state, my team was able to get a very well-rounded picture of what challenges Wyoming
businesses are up against as we head into the new year.
Media:
I joined Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business to discuss the collapse of FTX and the
potential rail strike. Click here to watch.
News Around Wyoming:
Black Bear Hunting Outlook Good For Wyoming, But No Grizzly Hunting
Anytime Soon
Cowboy State Daily
Wyoming’s black bear hunting has been good, and could be even
better, despite chances being slim that the state will see a grizzly bear hunting season anytime soon, says an avid bear hunter and
conservationist.
Meanwhile, the Wyoming Game and
Fish Department this month is seeking public comment on proposed changes to black bear hunting seasons, set to resume next spring across the state.
Inflation Prompts Wyoming Shoppers To Go Smaller This Gift-Giving
Season
Cowboy State Daily
Although some communities reported record sales, crowds by and large felt thin at many stores in Wyoming for Black Friday, and even some Small
Business Saturday shopping seemed to take a hit in some areas.
Val Martin with Art at The Hynds in Cheyenne told Cowboy State Daily its annual Small Business Saturday event, which gathers artisans
together under one roof, felt like the slowest Shop Small Saturday she can recall.
Federal funds fuel
Wyoming forest infrastructure projects
Laramie Boomerang
Federal officials have allocated millions of dollars to improve roads and trails across Wyoming’s national forests
— which have been under increasing strain as user numbers grow.
The U.S Forest Service early this fall announced $65 million in investments nationwide to help the agency improve “water
quality, roads, trails and fish habitat.” That included nearly $2.2 million in Legacy Road and Trails Remediation Program dollars for projects
in the Bighorn, Bridger-Teton, Medicine Bow-Routt and Shoshone national forests for fiscal year 2022. The LRTR Program is expected to be funded
annually at similar amounts through FY 2026. |
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| WYOMING SHOUT
OUT |
This
week, Jess Kravitz, a kindergarten teacher at Meadowlark Elementary School in Cheyenne, received the prestigious Milken Teaching Award. Jess is one of
forty teachers in the country to receive this award and is the only recipient from Wyoming. I want to personally thank Jess for her dedication to
teaching the next generation of Wyoming students. Our state always needs more enthusiastic, go-getting educators, and it’s wonderful to see
teachers like Jess being recognized for all of their hard work. Please join me in congratulating her on this momentous occasion!
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Cody
1285 Sheridan Avenue, Suite 215
Cody, WY 82414
Phone: 307-527-9444
Cheyenne Federal Center
2120 Capitol Avenue, Suite 2007
Cheyenne, WY 82001
Phone: 307-772-2477
Casper
Dick Cheney Federal Bldg.
100 East B Street, Suite 3201
PO Box 33201
Casper, WY 82601
Phone: 307-261-6572
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Sheridan
P.O. Box 6677
Sheridan, WY
82801
Phone: 307-439-7783
Star Valley 80 1st Street
Suite 105
P.O. Box 1630
Afton, WY 83110
Phone:
307-248-1736
Washington,
DC
Russell Senate
Office Building
Room SR 124
Washington, DC
20510
Phone: 202-224-3424 |
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