Railroad union megathread

[new_patomic]

This could potentially be very damaging economically going into the fall.

I would say, from a political standpoint, having a strike no matter the underlying conditions right before an election is stupid verging on insane.

But the underlying issue here is that the railroad companies are Ikarus flying near the sun. Even if you force the railroad workers to accept a bad deal here we're risking long-term damage to the resiliency of our entire logistics system because they refuse to give these workers even a single sick day. Turnover will get worse, labor shortages will worsen, this is not the 80s where you can just pull a Reagan and fire all the strikers and the system can bounce back.

So if this happens... Biden's only good option is probably to slam the companies as being thieving bastards more interested in tanking the entire American economy than they are in giving their workers even one sick day or day off to attend a funeral. And hope you can have the public pressure be against the corporations, rather than against the workers.

[new_patomic]

I can not believe the left is willing to do this and only to lose elections. If they do not get 100% of what they want, they will freak out only to lose elections and get none of what they want!

Who do you think teachers strike, mass transit strikes, etc hurt the most? The power and working class.

I don't think anyone on the left wants to do this.

I think it's more so that the rail carriers are actually being this irresponsible. That they're arguably starting to jeopardize our national security by weakening the resiliency of our entire logistics network.

[new_patomic]

block the strike! I DO NOT CARE for these railway workers trying to wreck the entire economy.

Why is the left always willing to wreck the entire economy over virtue signaling?

I did concede to the left that there is not much we can do domestically about inflation at this point.. but with strikes and covid they are 100% WRONG.

Why do you assume that the striking railworkers are 'the left'?

Union bosses are usually left wing but even if they were not I wouldn’t care . Strikes that threaten the economy this way should be broken up

How about we just give the workers what they're asking for so that there's no need for a strike?

The median income of railroad workers is 65k :

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/railroad-occupations.htm

The attendance policies are so draconian that they will dock workers who are forced to miss a day because they got into a car accident.

[new_patomic]

During my time on the Board, I have raised concerns about the primacy Class I railroads have placed on lowering their operating ratios and satisfying their shareholders even at the cost of their customers.  Part of that strategy has involved cutting their work force to the bare bones in order to reduce costs.  Over the last 6 years, the Class Is collectively have reduced their work force by 29% – that is about 45,000 employees cut from the payrolls.  In my view, all of this has directly contributed to where we are today – rail users experiencing serious deteriorations in rail service because, on too many parts of their networks, the railroads simply do not have a sufficient number of employees.

The industry has eliminated almost a third of its positions in just the last six years, even as arguably the amount of freight that we need our railways to move has grown each year bar the pandemic.

It shouldn't have to be spelled out how cutting all flexibility from the system is a direct threat to both the economy and our national security. That isn't the workers fault, that's management.

[new_patomic]

https://twitter.com/alexisdomm/status/1570208171100368897

Is this good news?

The timestamp on that more than an hour before CNN's Kaitlan Collins reported that negotiations are still ongoing. And I've seen no other reporting that a tentative deal has been reached.

I'm assuming it's a misunderstanding of what's going on, likely confusing it entirely with the single union which rejected a tentative agreement and so couldn't strike until the end of the month.

[new_patomic]

5 AM on the East Coast

https://twitter.com/business/status/1570340187661807616?s=20&t=dUoHbljf4D3RC...

https://twitter.com/Phil_Mattingly/status/1570340651707027465?s=20&t=dUoHblj...

[new_patomic]

Of course, the deal still has to be ratified.

And from some anecdotal reports, the sick leave is essential but it doesn't exactly solve all of the livability issues that the rail carrier's draconian attendance policies have created.

But for now, it's an improvement, and Biden didn't blink.