The House and Senate passed a bill on June 26 banning both strikes and lockouts, which was then signed by President George H. W. Bush the same day.
[2] Early newspapers on the morning of Wednesday the 24th ran headlines reporting a potential strike by Amtrak employees had been averted.
[4] The Bush administration asserted that the strike and its effects cost the nation $1 billion per day as a result of lost wages and industries that relied on rail transport being forced to shut down.
Representative Pat Williams of Montana described the bill as "a fundamental mistake that will haunt railroad workers for decades".
[1] Other members of Congress asserted that the magnitude of the railroad shutdown demanded immediate action, including those traditionally perceived as being pro-labor.
"[1] Alexander Cockburn harshly criticized the government response in an op-ed, asserting that "capital has gone on strike" and comparing it to Italian Fascism.