U.S. House backs legislation to block rail strike

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A majority of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday backed a bill to block a potentially crippling rail strike, but the fate of a separate proposal by lawmakers to mandate paid sick time remains uncertain.

With voting ongoing, more than 250 members of the House that with 432 current members had voted in favor of imposing a tentative contract deal reached in September on a dozen unions representing 115,000 workers after President Joe Biden warned of the catastrophic impact of a rail stoppage that could begin as early as Dec. 9. A separate vote is planned later Wednesday on whether to require seven days of paid sick leave.

(Reporting by David Shepardson)