Rail strike this week. 09/2022

[HRDWRK]

"A potential nationwide freight rail strike is looming, threatening to cripple the U.S. economy ahead of the holiday shopping season and November’s midterm elections."

"Roughly 115,000 rail workers could walk off the job as soon as Sept. 16 if they cannot agree to a new contract with railroads."

"That’s the first day workers could legally strike after a White House-appointed panel released collective bargaining recommendations aimed at ending years of contentious negotiations. "

"Five of the 13 unions representing rail workers have reached tentative agreements with railroads to enact the Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) recommendations, which call for 24 percent pay raises, back pay and cash bonuses. "

I wish I could get a 24% pay raise increase!

Get ready for higher prices on groceries, gas, oil, coal, lumber and just about everything else!

Potential rail strike threatens to kneecap US economy ahead of midterms

A potential nationwide freight rail strike is looming, threatening to cripple the U.S. economy ahead of the holiday shopping season and November’s midterm elections. Roughly 115,000 rail wor…

thehill.com

Rail-Strike Deadline Carries Economic and Political Risks for Biden

Tens of thousands of US railroad workers could be on strike by the end of this week, a potential new shock to supply chains that would pose a pre-midterm political quandary for President Joe Biden and the Democrats.

www.bloomberg.com

 

[lazarus]

"A potential nationwide freight rail strike is looming, threatening to cripple the U.S. economy ahead of the holiday shopping season and November’s midterm elections."

"Roughly 115,000 rail workers could walk off the job as soon as Sept. 16 if they cannot agree to a new contract with railroads."

"That’s the first day workers could legally strike after a White House-appointed panel released collective bargaining recommendations aimed at ending years of contentious negotiations. "

"Five of the 13 unions representing rail workers have reached tentative agreements with railroads to enact the Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) recommendations, which call for 24 percent pay raises, back pay and cash bonuses. "

I wish I could get a 24% pay raise increase!

Get ready for higher prices on groceries, gas, oil, coal, lumber and just about everything else!

Potential rail strike threatens to kneecap US economy ahead of midterms

A potential nationwide freight rail strike is looming, threatening to cripple the U.S. economy ahead of the holiday shopping season and November’s midterm elections. Roughly 115,000 rail wor…

thehill.com

Rail-Strike Deadline Carries Economic and Political Risks for Biden

Tens of thousands of US railroad workers could be on strike by the end of this week, a potential new shock to supply chains that would pose a pre-midterm political quandary for President Joe Biden and the Democrats.

www.bloomberg.com

If you read into it though, they have some real grievances. It is less about the pay, though most of the unions took pay cuts in the last few years. A lot is the work schedules. Most are on call 365 days a year, even if they aren't working that day. So, it is almost impossible to take an actual vacation away from home. Many are on call at all hours too. The railroads have basically contracted their workforces by about a third over the last decade or so. So, they are basically trying to get the same stuff down, with significantly fewer people.

It is partly why some of the unions haven't agreed to the contract as they are trying to get provisions to keep from being permanently on call and ridiculous working hours/days.

More likely than not Congress is going to step in and force the unions to accept it (they have the power to do that).

 

[John from MD]

Railroads are required to use binding arbitration and cannot strike.


Under the Railway Labor Act, employee grievances arising under the terms of collective bargaining agreements (i.e., minor disputes) are subject to compulsory arbitration. Effective arbitration processes are therefore necessary to resolve such disputes.
The NMB administers the processes available to the parties for resolving railroad grievances. They include:

• Public Law Boards
• Special Boards of Adjustment
• National Railroad Adjustment Board

The NMB certifies appointments of arbitrators to serve as neutrals on these labor/management boards in the railroad industry. To be admitted to NMB’s roster of arbitrators, an applicant must be eligible under the “Uniform Guidelines for Placement on NMB’s Roster of Arbitrators”. The “Guidelines” and relevant Application Form are available in this web site. Each applicant is notified in writing as to whether or not admittance is approved.
The NMB is also frequently asked to furnish panels of arbitrators from which the airline parties select a neutral for airline System Boards of Adjustment.

 

[gamer_jim]

Rail union workers declined the previous offer and set a strike date of December 9, 2022.

Biden asks Congress to help stop rail strike

President Joe Biden on Monday asked Congress to help stop a railroad strike before next month’s deadline, to “avert a potentially crippling national rail shutdown.”

www.newsnationnow.com

 

[wpage]

Should be interesting deadline is only couple weeks away...

If they strike. Supply chain breaks will occur once again.

 

[newmuzzleloader]

Rail union workers declined the previous offer and set a strike date of December 9, 2022.

Biden asks Congress to help stop rail strike

President Joe Biden on Monday asked Congress to help stop a railroad strike before next month’s deadline, to “avert a potentially crippling national rail shutdown.”

www.newsnationnow.com

This has to be fake news, All the major networks told me Biden avoided this a few months ago.

Updated on September 17, 2022 6:15pm EDT

Biden says deal averting rail worker strike avoided 'real economic crisis'​

President Biden said that supply chains would have come to a 'screeching halt' if a deal wasn't reached​

 

[gamer_jim]

Back in September Biden took credit for averting the strike. The White House spokes-hole said he was up all night negotiating with them, which is bullcrap.

This time around Biden said in public he wasn't part of the negotiations and the press secretary says otherwise:

https://noagendaassets.com/enc/1669588027.468_railstrikecomingdec9.mp3

 

[adit]

Where's Waldo? Getting Railed, rather than working on the Rail issue?

 

[Bullfrog]

Where's Waldo? Getting Railed, rather than working on the Rail issue?

That is much more of a ferret face than Frank Burns ever was.

 

[Afrikeber]

Hope electrical generation power plants are stocked up with enough coal just in case. Some have converted to natural gas turbines but not all.

 

[K31]

Budda-Edge-Edge said supply chain problems are due to a lack of pre-K child care so I'm not too worried about a rail strike.

 

[Mightydog]

So how is that diesel fuel shortage going? When’s the run on TP in the stores due to “anticipated” shortages. Thanks PoopyPants!

 

[John from MD]

What happened to Binding Arbitration? My father worked for the B&O for 20 years before losing his arm to a train wreck. He told me all about the Railway Labor Act of 1926 and how it required Binding Arbitration. Did the demonrats throw this baby out with the bathwater too?

 

[HRDWRK]

FJB and the hoe have things under control, no worries!

 

[TheOriginalMexicanBob]

If the strike is averted…Biden will credit whether he had anything to do with It. If there is a strike Biden will blame Congress…the Republicans…anyone else. And the media will dutifully report it that way.

 

[lazarus]

What happened to Binding Arbitration? My father worked for the B&O for 20 years before losing his arm to a train wreck. He told me all about the Railway Labor Act of 1926 and how it required Binding Arbitration. Did the demonrats throw this baby out with the bathwater too?

It is there. They just never reached an agreement that the unions membership actually agreed to. The railway labor act requires CONGRESS to enforce the arbitration agreement. It isn't on an arbiter to enforce.

Which Congress is doing. The house passed a bill enforcing the contract drawn up, with a rider increasing sick leave from one day to seven. The Senate will almost certainly pass it, but I'd imagine GOP will strip the sick leave provision out.

That is the part that blows my mind, is the railway companies really offered NO sick leave at all. The proposal from them was to increase sick leave to ONE day and refused to budge. Their biggest issue is they are understaffed, and like health care, don't want to spend the money to increase staffing (a huge issue in nursing). And it has the knock on effect that when everyone is overworked, no one wants to go into the field and you lose people because they get sick and tired of it. In a lot of cases, literally. Yup, it increases costs. That means either less profit, or needing to increase passed along costs marginally. Both with health care, and the railroads, increasing staffing 10-15%, that would be an enormous change in overworking, would likely lead to less than a 5% cost increase (or maybe a 10-15% profit reduction).