Two provisions of the massive federal spending and tax package now under consideration in the U.S. Senate, called the “One Big Beautiful Act,” look pretty ugly to the BLET and the Teamsters.
One provision of the spending bill, which has nothing to do with federal spending, would create a 10-year moratorium banning states from regulating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and autonomous vehicles. It has negative implications for railroad workers, potentially prohibiting states from passing safety laws that regulate the use of railroad technology that utilizes AI.
Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien has called the AI moratorium a power grab by Big Tech companies that would hurt working families. “The draft moratorium is the result of aggressive lobbying from companies that are already using AI to undermine workers and eliminate jobs,” the Teamsters leader said.
O’Brien provides a strong argument on why the AI moratorium “…isn’t policy. It’s a payoff,” in this op-ed that was published by Fox News.
The BLET and Teamsters also are working to make a change in the “Big Beautiful Bill” related to tax exemptions for overtime pay. The proposed language would provide tax relief on overtime pay only for workers who are covered under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA generally does not apply to railroad workers, who are typically covered under the Railway Labor Act (RLA).
Although this big bill is likely to get much smaller before it gets a floor vote in the Senate, a version of the spending bill has already been approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. The Senate has set a deadline of passing their version before the Independence Day holiday recess in July, including possibly this weekend.