The US House of Representatives has approved a bill to enforce a tentative deal between rail companies and worker unions in an effort to avert a potentially crippling strike.

The Senate will now take up the legislation, which if approved would stop about 115,000 workers from walking off the job as early as December 9. President Joe Biden had urged Congress to step in and find a solution to the labour dispute, which threatened to wreak havoc on critical supply chains and the economy heading into the holiday season.

Congressional leaders from both parties had indicated they would move quickly to advance the legislation backed by Biden to enforce the deal, which would make it illegal for workers and unions to proceed with the strike. But it is still a dramatic step — the first time a president has moved to enforce a rail contract against the will of some union members since George HW Bush.