The looming rail strike was years in the making

[Nevilledog]

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Tim Murphy
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"The head of the federal government’s Surface Transportation Board said last year that rail companies have paid out roughly $200 billion to shareholders since 2010—nearly $50 billion more than they spent on infrastructure during that period."

motherjones.com
The looming rail strike was years in the making
Workers are fed up with the cost-cutting and layoffs that have left them unable to care for themselves and their families.
12:26 PM · Sep 14, 2022

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/09/rail-worker-railroad-strike-freight-joe-biden/

Rail workers across the country may be on the verge of going on strike for the first time in three decades—a decision that would immediately cripple supply chains and cause billions in economic losses per day. Workers could walk off the job, or companies could lock them out, as soon as Friday if a deal isn’t reached.

The dispute is not about pay, but the day-to-day indignities of working in the industry. Rail workers often don’t have weekends, get no sick days, and say that taking the time to care for themselves and their families can lead to being fired. As engineer Ross Grooters puts it, workers are “just fighting for the basic right to be able to be people outside of the railroad.”

The White House has been scrambling to try to avoid a strike that would upend the country’s economy in the lead-up to the midterm elections, and President Joe Biden has been in touch with unions and railroad companies, Politico reports. A shutdown could disrupt shipments of everything from coal and lumber to food and the chlorine used to treat wastewater. Amtrak trains that rely on freight carriers’ tracks are already being canceled.

Failing to reach a deal by Friday does not guarantee a strike, since both sides could agree to extend negotiations. But administration officials are developing contingency plans to try to keep essential goods moving in the event of a shutdown, an outcome that White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has said is “not acceptable.”

*snip*

[Chainfire]

1. Employers are going to have to relearn the lesson that employees are not just disposable and easily

replaceable parts of the money making machine. If a rail strike is necessary to bring that point home, I say go for it.

[Wingus Dingus]

2. My husband was furloughed several times as a conductor for a Class 1--not enough seniority

to get trips when there were slowdowns. No trips, no money. You just check everyday hoping to kick someone else off of a job who has less seniority than you. It's a pretty tenuous position for someone with a mortgage and a car payment. Edit to add: he did like it, when he was able to hold jobs.

[crickets]

3. K&R for visibility.