The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are criticizing longtime members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D.N.Y., and Rep. Cory Bush after they voted to uphold a contract with railroad workers to stop the national railroad. . strike
“Biden and his administration sold out workers when they imposed this horrible contract on railroad workers through the old Railroad Labor Act (RLA),” DSA said. Press release. “We disagree with and are disappointed in the decision by DSA members Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Cory Bush to vote in vain to implement the TA. [tentative agreement].”
President Biden signed the law Friday, he said the law prevented “what could have been a real disaster.”
The newly enacted law codifies a July deal negotiated by railroad unions and the Biden administration that would increase workers’ wages by 24 percent over the five years from 2020 to 2024, including death after ratification. an average of $11,000 is paid.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, attends a ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial Museum, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, in New York City.
(Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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The agreement passed by Congress was approved by eight of the 12 transport unions involved in the negotiations. Four disgruntled unions representing about 100,000 railroad workers said the deal was unfair because it did not include paid sick leave. They had asked for seven paid sick days, but despite the efforts of progressive lawmakers, including Ocasio-Cortez and even some conservatives like Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to amend the legislation.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D.N.Y., also a DSA member, voted in favor of the TA, but escaped criticism from the group.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) speaks at the National Action Network’s three-day annual national conference on April 7, 2022 in New York City.
(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Rep. Cory Bush (D-MO) leaves the processing area after being arrested for participating in a rally with activists from the Center for Action for a Popular Democracy outside the U.S. Supreme Court on July 19, 2022 in Washington, DC.
(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., was the only DSA member to vote against the bill.
“We are proud of DSA member Rashida Tlaib’s vote against TA and sick days,” DSA said. “Any vote by Congress to impose a bad contract on workers would be on the side of the boss and against democratic socialist values.”
DSA Class Unity, a group that describes itself as working “to support the development of class struggle politics both within and outside of DSA,” has gone one step further than DSA, with the group chasing Ocasio-Cortez, Bush and Bowman called for release. membership.
“Representatives have turned their backs on the movement that brought them to office,” said a Application by DSA Class Unity reads. “The black mark they put on the name of socialism will be a liability to American socialists in the future.”
“We condemn the treacherous actions of these representatives and call for their immediate censure and expulsion from the ranks of the Democratic Socialists of America,” the petition reads.
The petition was signed by DSA’s Providence and Inland Empire chapters, the Virginia Working Editorial Board and more than 100 DSA chapter members, including Burbank, Calif., Vice Mayor Constantine Anthony.
Ocasio-Cortez and Bush did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Fox News’ Kyle Morris and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this article.