Special Message to the Congress Proposing Legislation To Avert Stoppage of Rail Service

To the Congress of the United States:

Once again this nation is on the brink of a nationwide rail strike.

A nationwide stoppage of rail service would cause hardship to human beings and harm to our economy, and must not be permitted to take place.

In two previous disputes, when the railroad employers and unions have not been able to settle their differences, the President has recommended, and the Congress has enacted, special legislation to avert a stoppage. I am taking similar action to protect the public interest today.

The legislation I propose is closely related to the facts of this dispute. After all the procedures of the Railway Labor Act had been exhausted, and after extensive mediation under the auspices of the Secretary of Labor, the parties finally reached an agreement incorporated in a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 4, 1969. That Memorandum was ratified by an overall majority of all the members voting as well as by the majority of those voting in three of the four unions.

However, the majority of the voting members of one union, the Sheet metal Workers' International Association, failed to ratify the Memorandum. I am forwarding to you today legislation that merely makes that Memorandum the contract between the parties. We must not submit to the chaos of a nationwide rail stoppage because a minority of the affected workers rejected a contract agreed to by their leadership. The public interest comes first.

Four days ago, I sent to the Congress a measure to protect the public interest in cases where a strike or lockout in the transportation industry imperils the national health and safety. In that message I stressed two principles: first, that the health and safety of the Nation must be protected against damaging work stoppages; second, that collective bargaining should be as free as possible from Government interference.

The legislation I am submitting with this message to resolve this dispute abides by those two principles. We will protect the national interest, and we will limit Government interference to enforcing the contract to which responsible agents of the parties agreed.

I urge the Congress to act quickly on my proposal, so that a crippling stoppage can be averted and the Nation's travellers and shippers can depend on uninterrupted service.

RICHARD NIXON

The White House

March 3, 1970