As the deadline for a national railroad strike loomed, President Joe Biden and U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh hammered out a tentative agreement between the rail freight bosses and those railroad unions which had not already agreed to a contract. For now, this maneuvering has averted a strike t

In fact the deal is limited in how “beneficial” it is to union members. The contracts contain new language so that workers can take time off — without pay, of course — for medical conditions. But other circumstances, such as unexpected car trouble or attending a child’s sporting event or school play, can still cost a worker points.