Railroad workers lashed out at both Republicans and Democrats on Friday after Congress and President Joe Biden blocked their unions from striking over paid sick leave and unsafe work scheduling, with militant workers calling for the various railroad craft unions to unite under one organization and consider allying with a third political party.
Biden signed legislation on Friday finalizing a labor agreement with rail carrier companies that multiple unions representing more than half of railroad workers rejected in November after two years of bitter negotiations. Biden bills himself as valiant supporter of organized labor, but the holiday shopping season loomed over his decision to buck the rail unions, with the president warning on Friday of a “economic catastrophe at a very bad time of the calendar” before changing the subject to boast about job gains and lower gasoline prices.
“I think many trade unionists with any experience would see this for what it is — this is Reaganomics in action, this is the Reaganomics with the face of Joe Biden,” said Marilee Taylor, a labor organizer and recently retired locomotive engineer, in an interview. Taylor, who worked on freight trains for 28 years, recalled President Ronald Reagan’s controversial decision in 1981 to bust a strike called by air traffic controllers by stepping in and firing 11,000 union members from their jobs.
Taylor and other workers say claims by Biden and industry groups that a strike or work slowdown would inevitably cause widespread economic damage are overblown. The point of a strike is to leverage collective power and win concessions from profit-hungry employers, not to spend weeks without a paycheck. Retailers are prepared for supply chain logjams, and the vice president of the Retail Industry Leaders Association recently said “we will still have Christmas this year” if railroad unions call a strike.
The greater threat, railroad unions argue, is workers on the job for days a time without sufficient time off to see a doctor or recover from illness as the nation continues to face COVID-19 and other viruses. In June, a locomotive engineer died of a heart attack on the job after missing a doctor’s appointment to avoid being penalized by BNSF, a major rail carrier company.
Most rail workers do not have paid sick leave or flexible work schedules and can be penalized for missing work, and Taylor said workers are exhausted and looking for other jobs. House Democrats passed separate legislation adding seven days of sick leave to the deal, but the companion bill failed in the Senate after 42 Republicans and one lone Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, voted against it.
Jason Doering, general secretary of Railroad Workers United, an independent advocacy group of union members, said the “one-two punch” from both political parties is “despicable.”
“This is Reaganomics in action, this is the Reaganomics with the face of Joe Biden.”
“Politicians are happy to voice platitudes and heap praise upon us for our heroism throughout the pandemic, the essential nature of our work, the difficult and dangerous and demanding conditions of our jobs,” Doering said in a statement Friday. “Yet when the steel hits the rail, they back the powerful and wealthy Class One rail carriers every time.”
SMART-TD, one of the rail unions that voted against the labor agreement, said workers are demanding paid sick leave out of necessity, not preference. Everyday railroad workers must decide between showing up to work sick and stressed out or facing penalties from employers.
“It is extremely disappointing that 43 Senators voted to prioritize the corporate greed of rail carriers and CEOs over the needs and quality-of-life improvements that our members so desperately deserve,” SMART-TD leadership said in a statement on Thursday.
The SMART-TD union, reserving its ire for Manchin and the GOP, thanked Biden and other top Democrats for negotiating in support of railroad workers at the negotiating table and in Congress. Federal law allows Congress to intervene in a rail strike, and the White House joined negotiations between workers and rail bosses earlier this year after at least two rail unions voted to strike, resulting in a series of temporary agreements. Averting a strike — and any economic consequences — ahead of the midterm elections was a top priority for Biden and the Democrats.
However, Taylor said the final agreement forced by Congress and the White House provides concessions to rail bosses who are determined to maintain precision scheduled railroading, a work scheduling policy that many workers loathe for prioritizing cost cutting and shareholder returns over the safety and well-being of workers.
“Good hard workers, with experience and capability, are saying, ‘I have to have a life, I have to be with my family for some time of the day, I have to have time for my health,” Taylor said.
Biden said he is a longtime supporter of paid sick leave and pledged to continue fighting for sick leave for railroad workers, but he did not propose any legislation or offer executive action. As reporters shouted questions about paid sick leave, Biden appeared to say that Republicans should “see the light” before exiting the White House briefing room on Friday.
Biden presented the decision as a difficult choice but the right one for protecting the broader economy ahead of the holidays. Union members saw a president who simply sided with the bosses. Taylor said a truly pro-labor president would have vetoed the bill or refused to sign it until carriers commit to paid sick leave, and use the bully pulpit to blame the industry and its Wall Street shareholders for refusing to concede its “inhumane” scheduling policies if the dispute ultimately shut down the rails.
“Biden has just done one of the most undemocratic, anti-worker and across the board anti-labor actions by, first of all, promoting governmental state intervention in these negotiations,” Taylor said, adding that essential workers in education and health care now see that their right to strike is threatened both by the state and a Democratic president.
Still, Biden would have his political cake and eat it too had Manchin and a handful of Republicans voted in favor of paid sick leave for rail workers. In a statement, Railroad Workers United said fellow workers should explore other political options now that politicians in both major parties failed to have their backs. Railroad workers are currently represented by a web of roughly a dozen craft unions, and workers should consider uniting under one powerful union, the group said. The group has also proposed a public takeover of the rails to break the grip of private companies.
Ron Kaminkow, a locomotive engineer and organizer with Railroad Workers United, said politicians and union leaders have “played” railroad workers for more than a century under a broken system upheld by ancient federal laws.
“The fiasco of recent months will show that perhaps the time has come for railroad workers to push for a unified and powerful labor organization of all crafts, together with a political party that will better serve the interest of not just railroad workers but all working-class people,” Kaminkow said in a statement on Friday.
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Excellent-Big-1581 on December 5th, 2022 at 01:11 UTC »
In the last 100 years congress/ president has interfered to stop or shorten a rail strike 18 times! With a 5 year contract and workers extending contracts I’m assuming that means every contract for the last 100 years.
J1540 on December 4th, 2022 at 23:29 UTC »
Republicans voted against it.
Cfwydirk on December 4th, 2022 at 22:20 UTC »
Railroad updates; Reposting from another Railroader and it’s worth the read.
I know a lot of you have been hearing about the big scary "Rail Strike!". I just want to clarify a few things that the media, and the government have done a VERY poor job explaining. If you are someone who REALLY knows me, you'll know that I'm not one for hyperbole or exaggeration. I'll never try to over hype the situation. There are a lot of things you could say about me, but those who know me, I think, know that I am pretty honest, and pretty fair. If you're interested, I'd like to clear up a few popular misconceptions about our situation.
Myth - The average railroader makes 130,000 per year. Fact- That is absolutely false. There are many different jobs/crafts on the railroad. The craft that I work in- Maintenance of Way, the average worker makes approximately 62,000 per year. There ARE some rail workers who make more, but they typically have to sacrifice their ENTIRE personal and family life to do so. Regardless, PLEASE understand that pay was only a small part of the issue in this round of bargaining.
Myth- Rail workers are getting a 24 percent raise! Fact- Rail workers have worked for the last 3 years without ANY raises or bonuses. The wage increase referenced in the current agreement, which has been imposed by Congress, calls for a 22% wage increase over FIVE years, which includes retroactive pay from the past 3 years. The 24% figure has been tossed around loosely, as if it was all at once. The wage increase is admittedly significant, but also barely covers inflation over the last few years.
Myth- The agreement that was imposed by Congress included NO increases to health care costs Fact- Rail workers will pay significantly more per month for their healthcare premiums. While we still have a good healthcare plan compared to the average, these increased costs will absolutely cut even more into the imposed wage increase.
Myth- Rail workers already have paid sick leave, they don't need more. Fact- Rail workers have ZERO paid sick days. I listened to a prominent member of Congress testify on the house floor that rail workers ALREADY average 3 weeks of paid leave, and can achieve up to FIVE weeks of paid leave based on seniority. What he was referencing was NOT "paid leave", but vacation. In full transparency, I have 17 years seniority on the railroad, and next year will have earned my 4th week of paid vacation. This vacation time must be scheduled in advance. I can't just get COVID, or the flu, and cover it with vacation time. If I'm lucky, and have an understanding supervisor , then and only then will I be "allowed" to use my vacation time to ensure I get paid to cover an illness. Otherwise, I'm subject to discipline for missing work due to an illness for me or a family member. A new hire typically has to work up to 1.5 years just to achieve ONE week of paid vacation.
Myth- Rail workers want to strike and ruin the economy. Fact- Rail workers live here too. We are Americans. We ABSOLUTELY don't want to strike! A rail strike would hurt our families just as much, if not more, than anyone. All we want is the ability to fight for a better life for our family. Another thing that nobody is talking about is the fact that rail workers are ALREADY quitting in record numbers! Yeah, Congress successfully averted a strike yesterday. But, they also ensured a prolonged disaster with America's supply chain by not addressing the issues that are causing this employment shortage. Here's the deal, rail workers are generally well paid. Yes. But the gap has closed. And, folks are no longer willing to make the enormous sacrifices to quality of life and broken homes for slightly more than the average job.
Myth- Rail workers don't need paid sick days Fact- When the pandemic began, and everyone was ordered to stay home, rail workers SHOWED UP! While other essential workers were receiving wage increases and bonuses, rail workers received a piece of paper to "protect us" from stay at home orders. We came to work, we kept the supply chain moving so that we all still had groceries, and other essential items. We got sick. Many of our Brothers and Sisters died from COVID. If we got COVID, we were subject to the same quarantine rules as everyone else. Our choice then became - Quarantine and crash my family budget, or go to work and infect my coworkers.
Myth- Eight out of twelve Rail Unions ratified the contract, so most workers approved of the deal! Fact- The eight Unions who ratified the contract did so with razor thin majorities. The FOUR Unions that REJECTED the contract compromised more than half of the workers from the twelve Unions. In other words, the MAJORITY of rail workers rejected the imposed agreement.
I'm not asking for anyone's sympathy. I feel fortunate to have a job. All I'm asking is that before you draw conclusions, please reach out to your friendly neighborhood railroader. We're not the bad guys. We're just trying to make a life for our family, like anyone else.