The Senate today passed a resolution from the House by a margin of 80-15 to adopt the tentative agreement that railroads and unions negotiated in September under the supervision of the White House. It will now go to President Biden for his signature.

In the absence of a deal, a nationwide freight-rail shutdown due to a strike or lockout would have been possible starting December 9. With passage of the resolution, the labor agreement based on the independent recommendations of the presidential emergency board, plus a few concessions on sick leave from the deal brokered by Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh in September, will become the new national freight-rail labor contract once Biden signs it.

Railroads would have begun to shutter some services as early as this weekend in the absence of a deal. Sectors such as agriculture, energy, and raw materials are especially dependent on rail service. Consumer goods and some passenger routes would have been affected as well.