No more choo choos (potentially)

[Chris-]

Biden Maneuvers to Try to Avoid Devastating Rail Strike - The New York Times

WWW.NYTIMES.COM

---

The Biden administration is considering executive action to try to avoid a shutdown of the nation’s rail network that would harm the economy ahead of the midterm elections.

 

 

Seems bad!

[Ricofoley]

Reading about this the last couple of days, the major sticking point in negotiations is that the rail workers are asking to have unpaid time off, because right now they have an allotment of vacation that they have to plan way in advance, and other than that they're essentially perpetually on call 24/7. Not a big mystery to figure out which side is being unreasonable on this one.

[Chris-]

5 minutes ago, Ricofoley said:

Reading about this the last couple of days, the major sticking point in negotiations is that the rail workers are asking to have unpaid time off, because right now they have an allotment of vacation that they have to plan way in advance, and other than that they're essentially perpetually on call 24/7. Not a big mystery to figure out which side is being unreasonable on this one.

 

Control for the sake of control.

[Fizzzzle]

Yeah, it's pretty easy to see. They basically aren't asking for more money, they're asking fo the companies to, like... hire more people so that they don't have to work or be on call literally all the time.

 

That's a common thread with teachers and nurses, for the most part. They're not asking for more money, they're asking to be treated like human beings.

[Ricofoley]

This is a good listen to learn about some of the larger issues with the whole industry.

 

tl, dr: There's a system that all of these companies have started implementing in recent years called Precision Scheduled Railroading that's supposed to simplify train routes and make things more efficient but in actuality is grinding workers into dust and causing giant-ass trains to keep derailing.

[SaysWho?]

Biden White House announces tentative deal which will avert strike:

 

Railroad strike averted after marathon talks reach tentative deal

WWW.CNN.COM

---

Unions and management reached a tentative deal early Thursday that averts a freight railroad strike that had threatened to cripple US supply chains and push prices higher for many goods.

 

Quote

Few details of the deal have so far been made public. But the statement from President Joe Biden indicated that the major issue that had brought the country within a day of its first national rail strike in 30 years had been addressed in the unions’ favor.

 

“It is a win for tens of thousands of rail workers who worked tirelessly through the pandemic to ensure that America’s families and communities got deliveries of what have kept us going during these difficult years,” said Biden’s statement. “These rail workers will get better pay, improved working conditions, and peace of mind around their health care costs: all hard-earned.”

 

The dispute was about staffing shortages and scheduling rules that union leaders said had brought their membership to a breaking point. The unions say the railroads have been requiring their members to be “on call” and ready to report to work on short notice as often as seven days a week. Leadership of the two unions had said their members would not accept a contract without changes to those work rules.

 

Biden described the deal as “also a victory for railway companies who will be able to retain and recruit more workers for an industry that will continue to be part of the backbone of the American economy for decades to come.”

 

[Anathema-]

Once again squashing that malarkey, let's go Brandon.

[TUFKAK]

Thanks Joe 

 

the workers deserved more though, but after decades of anti labor presidents it’s nice to have one not avowedly anti labor for a change 

[PaladinSolo]

UPS' contract ends next year, 

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

8 hours ago, Ricofoley said:

This is a good listen to learn about some of the larger issues with the whole industry.

 

tl, dr: There's a system that all of these companies have started implementing in recent years called Precision Scheduled Railroading that's supposed to simplify train routes and make things more efficient but in actuality is grinding workers into dust and causing giant-ass trains to keep derailing.

Justin is very knowledgeable, and I highly recommend listening to the Well There’s Your Problem podcast for more Roz content. 

[PaladinSolo]

[Anathema-]

getting to the point where sicko sherman needs to be replaced with dark brandon

[TUFKAK]

I guess I’m working out in my Biden for president shirt again today 

[Keyser_Soze]

40 minutes ago, Anathema- said:

getting to the point where sicko sherman needs to be replaced with dark brandon

 

Sicko biden?

[CayceG]

The Union still needs to vote on it and the deal is unpaid days off, not paid days off. There very well still could be a strike.

[PaladinSolo]

46 minutes ago, CayceG said:

The Union still needs to vote on it and the deal is unpaid days off, not paid days off. There very well still could be a strike.

My understanding is they are fine with unpaid days off, because they were on call 24/7 meaning they ONLY had their vacation days and some personal days available and they had to be pre-planned, so a guy with 16 years in only had 30 days off a year, whereas your normal worker gets ~100 off just from weekends before they even got to paid time off.  But if it is just unpaid sick days then yeah its probably not gonna fly with the union members, but the voluntary days assigned days off thing sounds like weekend type stuff.

[thewhyteboar]

Perfection.

[thewhyteboar]

 

[SuperSpreader]

20 minutes ago, PaladinSolo said:

My understanding is they are fine with unpaid days off, because they were on call 24/7 meaning they ONLY had their vacation days and some personal days available and they had to be pre-planned, so a guy with 16 years in only had 30 days off a year, whereas your normal worker gets ~100 off just from weekends before they even got to paid time off. 

 

That's insane!!!!

[SuperSpreader]

6 minutes ago, thewhyteboar said:

Perfection.

 

 

[stepee]

ok good i like choo choos

[Link200]

2 hours ago, CayceG said:

The Union still needs to vote on it and the deal is unpaid days off, not paid days off. There very well still could be a strike.

 

1 hour ago, PaladinSolo said:

My understanding is they are fine with unpaid days off, because they were on call 24/7 meaning they ONLY had their vacation days and some personal days available and they had to be pre-planned, so a guy with 16 years in only had 30 days off a year, whereas your normal worker gets ~100 off just from weekends before they even got to paid time off.  But if it is just unpaid sick days then yeah its probably not gonna fly with the union members, but the voluntary days assigned days off thing sounds like weekend type stuff.

This type of schedule exists within aviation as well. The good news is that airline pilots don't have this issue any more. These horrible schedules do exist in the charter realm. 

 

The general rule is "if I can't have a drink it isn't a day off."

[Link200]

1 hour ago, SuperSpreader said:

 

 

Strikes rarely happen under the Railroad Labor Act. Management and labor need to go through A LOT to get to the point where a strike is a possibility. Ultimately the National Mediation Board will release both parties into a cooldown period of 30 days after they reach an impasse. Depending on the president, the NMB is made up of presidential appointments, it can take a very long time to get to that point. Sometimes it just never happens.

 

Pinnacle Airlines for example was in labor negotiations for a very very long time. They had a 99% strike vote and were just waiting on the NMB (Bush appointments) to release them. During this time management kept complaining about not having the money to offer improvements to the pilots. However, they somehow had the money to buy two other airlines (Colgan and Mesaba) during this timeframe. These days Pinnacle is known as Endeavor Air and they have had an updated contract. They are also now owned by Delta.

 

Once the cooldown period ends the NMB can release both parties to "self help" and that is when a strike or other labor actions may occur. The President can force employees to go back to work if the economic impact is too great.

 

The RLA was created in the 1930s. While it does give labor unions extra benefits (contracts don't expire, unions are national instead of spilt up locally, etc) it also can hold them back as well. Now companies are so large it is unlikely to see a large company have labor released to self help due to economic impacts to the nation. Smaller airlines have been able to go on strike but if any of the big three (American, Delta, United) were to go on strike it would likely be too great of an economic impact and stopped. The shear size of a company reduces a labor union's power under the RLA and that needs fixed.


EDIT: Just to add, yes, airline unions are included in the RLA.

[CastletonSnob]

Tentative labor deal averts threat of nationwide rail strike | AP News

APNEWS.COM

---

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rail companies and their workers reached a tentative agreement Thursday to avert a nationwide strike that could have shut down the nation's freight trains and devastated the economy less than two months before the midterm elections.

 

Biden helped avert a railway strike that would have cost the US $2 billion a DAY.

Democrats need to hammer home the point that they're better for the economy in their campaign ads. Inflation and gas prices have gone down thanks to them, and they helped avert a railway strike that would have cost the country $2 billion a day.

[69los]

You choo choo choosed to post this in its own thread.

 

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

I genuinely do believe that the union membership will vote down the agreement when it's put forward to them for approval.

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

On 9/15/2022 at 7:33 AM, b_m_b_m_b_m said:

Justin is very knowledgeable, and I highly recommend listening to the Well There’s Your Problem podcast for more Roz content. 

Man posted himself to a guest opinion at the Times. 

[CayceG]

58 minutes ago, b_m_b_m_b_m said:

Man posted himself to a guest opinion at the Times. 

 

Incredible how he made his way into the NYT  

 

I read it yesterday and it's a great article. Rocz always provides great simple explanations to these issues. 

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

 

[BloodyHell]

18 hours ago, b_m_b_m_b_m said:

 

Not that huge, because im sure daddy Biden will use his power to make the strike illegal, since he's such a union guy and all.

[Spork3245]

40 minutes ago, BloodyHell said:

Not that huge, because im sure daddy Biden will use his power to make the strike illegal, since he's such a union guy and all.

What previous action(s) by Biden is this based on?

[SaysWho?]

fyi: Biden is why unions are having a much easier time forming.

 

Biden’s NLRB Was Essential to Unionizing the Amazon Warehouse in Staten Island

THEINTERCEPT.COM

---

The aggressive appointment of Jennifer Abruzzo shows how electoral politics set the groundwork for mass organizing.

 

[TUFKAK]

America faces a possible rail strike in two weeks after largest union rejects labor deal | CNN Business

WWW.CNN.COM

---

America faces a growing risk of a crippling national freight rail strike in two weeks after rank-and-file members of the nation's largest rail union, which represents the...

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

On 9/16/2022 at 10:09 AM, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

I genuinely do believe that the union membership will vote down the agreement when it's put forward to them for approval.

 

 

[TUFKAK]

I couldn’t remember which was the main thread 😂