German rail union says it’s ready to take long-running pay dispute to arbitration

BERLIN (AP) — A German rail workers’ union says it’s prepared to take a long-running pay dispute with the main national railway operator to arbitration, which should head off strikes during the summer vacation period.  The EVG union said Thursday that it will discuss an arbitration process with state-owned railway operator Deutsche Bahn. Talks between EVG and Deutsche Bahn broke down last week. The union then announced a ballot on open-ended strike action. That announcement came as schools closed for the summer in parts of Germany. On Wednesday, Deutsche Bahn proposed bringing in outside mediators in hopes of resolving the dispute without walkouts during the summer.