Railroad strike averted with agreements, extension

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The nation's freight railroad industry averted a potentially costly strike on Thursday after resolving differences with two of its unions and agreeing to extend talks with a third.

The National Railway Labor Conference, which represents the railroads in bargaining talks, said its negotiators would try to reach an agreement with the final union before Feb. 8.

Without the agreements, the railway unions could have begun striking as early as Tuesday, when a federal "cooling off" period was set to expire. Retailers warned that a rail strike would cost businesses and consumers $2 billion a day and prove especially damaging during the industry's most important shopping season of the year.

The agreements late Thursday with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the American Train Dispatchers Association came just hours after Republican House leaders said they would move to vote Friday on emergency legislation to prevent a work stoppage.

The group of more than 30 railroads ? including Union Pacific Corp., CSX Corp. and Burlington Northern Santa Fe ? has been trying for more than a year to reach collective bargaining agreements with 13 unions representing about 132,000 workers.

President Barack Obama appointed a five-member emergency board in October to mediate the dispute. The White House action averted a strike for at least 60 days, ending Tuesday at 12:01 a.m.

With the help of federal mediators, the railroads have now settled with 12 of the 13 unions in the current bargaining round. The only unsettled union is the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees, which has about 25,000 workers.

"Everyone wins when we reach voluntary agreements," said Kenneth Gradia, chairman of the National Carriers' Conference Committee, which bargains on behalf of the railroads. "In a tough economy, these agreements offer a terrific deal for rail employees. They lock in well-above market wage increases of more than 20 percent over six years, far exceeding recent union settlements in other industries."

The last time a freight railroad strike occurred, in 1991, Congress quickly passed legislation that ended it within a day. A 1982 strike lasted four days.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-12-01-Railroad%20Strike/id-078185dc89bb4f1aa07939ef42c53674

are you afraid of the dark are you afraid of the dark dallas news google tv cornel west marzieh vafamehr marzieh vafamehr

Senate clears way for passage of big defense bill (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Senate Democrats and Republicans are pushing for harsher sanctions against Iran's Central Bank as fears of Tehran developing a nuclear weapon outweigh concerns that any step would drive up oil prices and hit Americans at the gas pump.

The Senate on Wednesday weighed whether to add the sanctions measure to a massive, $662 billion defense bill that moved closer to passage. A vote on the sanctions was likely Thursday.

On Wednesday, lawmakers voted 88-12 to limit debate on the legislation, and looked to wrap up the bill by week's end.

The legislation would authorize funds for military personnel, weapons systems, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and national security programs in the Energy Department. The bill is $27 billion less than what President Barack Obama requested for the budget year beginning Oct. 1 and $43 billion less than what Congress provided to the Pentagon this year.

Tougher sanctions against Iran have widespread support in Congress, reflecting concerns not only for U.S. national security but ally Israel's as well. Last week, the Obama administration announced a new set of penalties against Iran, including identifying for the first time Iran's entire banking sector as a "primary money laundering concern." This requires increased monitoring by U.S. banks to ensure that they and their foreign affiliates avoid dealing with Iranian financial institutions.

But lawmakers pressed ahead with even tougher penalties despite reservations by the administration.

Sens. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., offered an amendment to the defense bill that would target foreign financial institutions that do business with the Central Bank of Iran, barring them from opening or maintaining correspondent operations in the United States. It would apply to foreign central banks only for transactions that involve the sale or purchase of petroleum or petroleum products.

The sanctions on petroleum would only apply if the president determines there is a sufficient alternative supply and if the country with jurisdiction over the financial institution has not significantly reduced its purchases of Iranian oil.

Lawmakers cited the recent International Atomic Energy Agency report that Iran is suspected of clandestine work that is "specific to nuclear weapons," its alleged role in the plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in the United States and the attack on the British Embassy in Tehran.

"One of the greatest threats to our nation and our ally Israel is Iran," Menendez said, insisting that the United States must take steps to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

"We cannot, we must not and we will not let that happen," Menendez said, "but the clock is ticking."

Kirk said the amendment was clear: "If you do business with the Central Bank of Iran, you cannot do business with the United States."

The administration harbors concerns about the enforcement of the measure, which has more than 80 backers in the Senate. Denis McDonough, White House deputy national security adviser, held a closed-door Capitol Hill meeting with several senators on Tuesday, including Kirk and Menendez.

After the session, Kirk sought to allay concerns about rising gasoline prices.

"I've had detailed conversations with Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, who described a great willingness by Saudi Arabia to increase (oil) production," Kirk told reporters.

A vote on the amendment was expected on Thursday.

The Senate approved dozens of amendments by voice vote on Wednesday. Among them:

_Linking funds for the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Fund to a requirement that the Obama administration certify to Congress that Pakistan is trying to counter improvised explosive devices.

_Calling on the president to devise a plan, with input from the military and NATO, for accelerating the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

_Seeking an urgent intelligence assessment of Libya's stockpile of about 20,000 portable anti-aircraft missiles and the threat they pose to the United States and its allies.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/democrats/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111201/ap_on_go_co/us_congress_defense_bill

san diego news ford evos ford evos ides of march starship troopers starship troopers the skin i live in

Siri and Apple: Abortion Madness (Balloon Juice)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/168322715?client_source=feed&format=rss

alot alot are you afraid of the dark are you afraid of the dark dallas news google tv cornel west

Iranian diplomats set to leave UK (AP)

LONDON ? The deadline is approaching for Iranian diplomats to leave Britain following their expulsion by the U.K. government after protesters attacked the British embassy in Tehran.

Early Friday, the Iranian flag was still flying at Tehran's embassy in London, with diplomats given until 2 p.m. GMT (9 a.m. EST) to leave the U.K.

Phones at Iran's London embassy and consulate rang unanswered.

Tehran's relations with Britain have become increasingly strained in recent months, largely due to tensions over Tehran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment ? a process that can lead to developing nuclear weapons.

On Tuesday, Iranian protesters stormed and ransacked the U.K. embassy compounds in Tehran.

The incident ? broadcast around the world ? showed demonstrators tearing down Union Jack flags and brandishing a looted picture of Queen Elizabeth II. It has deepened Iran's isolation and significantly escalated tensions with the West.

In retaliation, Britain ordered Iranian diplomats off its soil, pulled its diplomats out of Iran and backed new sanctions on the Islamic republic. At least four other European countries, including Germany and France, also moved to reduce diplomatic contacts with Iran.

The storming of the embassy came two days after Iran's parliament voted to reduce ties with Britain following London's support for the recently upgraded U.S. sanctions on Tehran.

Although host nations are supposed to ensure security for embassies, the mob rampaged for hours at the British compound. Attackers torched a vehicle, tossed looted documents through windows, tearing down Union Jack flags and replacing them with Iran's flag and a banner in the name of a 7th-century Shiite saint, Imam Hussein.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague has said the attacks were "clearly premeditated" by high-ranking officials, but claimed there were "divisions within the Iranian regime" about the move.

Iran's government has criticized the attacks. But hard-liners have spoken out in support of the protesters. Mohammad Mohammadian praised the attackers, saying they had targeted the "epicenter of sedition."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111202/ap_on_re_eu/iran_britain

dish network cbs news manny pacquiao fight pacquiao marquez pacquiao marquez penn state game radiohead tour

PASSED (TIME)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/168818119?client_source=feed&format=rss

terrell owens carrie ann inaba california earthquake california earthquake jenna lyons jenna lyons san francisco earthquake

IRL: Thule Crossover backpack, Technocel Battery Boost and upgrading from Firefox 3.6

Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment.

It's funny how eerily quiet things get after Thanksgiving weekend. Except for some tablet going on sale next week, lots of companies are saving their finest wares for CES, which kicks off just after the New Year. Until then, we'll keep on keeping with the stuff we already own. Mat finally realized a backpack that won't send your gadgets crashing to the floor is a worthy investment, Andy's settled on a cheapie portable charger and Darren's at last upgraded to Firefox 7.0 (he's so crazy!). Which backpack is slowly sweeping the staff? And what was Engadget's managing editor doing using FF 3.6? Find the answers to that and more just past the break.

Continue reading IRL: Thule Crossover backpack, Technocel Battery Boost and upgrading from Firefox 3.6

IRL: Thule Crossover backpack, Technocel Battery Boost and upgrading from Firefox 3.6 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/68gGBWAIwyo/

credit unions tower heist reviews recursion amy schumer amy schumer ascii art ascii art

PROMISES, PROMISES: Candidates shield records (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/168057168?client_source=feed&format=rss

michael jackson kids father of the bride father of the bride bluebeard blue angels weather miami ohio state