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Posted: 7/14/2022 9:44:21 PM EDT
[#1]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Going to make a huge dent in the carbon emissions up until the cities burn Uh, moving to trucks won’t do that… |
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Posted: 7/14/2022 10:33:58 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryQuoted: We can’t be having people having too much freedom now, can we? Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: In before all the small government conservatives demand that bigfedgov and President Biden step in and save them. You think 'small government conservatives' should support labor unions?? We can’t be having people having too much freedom now, can we? To be fair, unions have done plenty to earn the ire of conservatives, to include getting their friends in the federal government to break up the railroad that used to run by my house when said railroad was in track to beat a strike. That said, I agree that the unions have a legitimate gripe with the railroads in the present case. |
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Posted: 7/14/2022 10:34:37 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Our facility would shut down in the matter of days without rail. Would be interesting to see what would happen. Same here. |
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Posted: 7/14/2022 10:34:39 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You think 'small government conservatives' should support labor unions?? Based on what I've heard about working conditions. In this case I would say yes. |
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Posted: 7/14/2022 11:03:40 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Based on what I've heard about working conditions. In this case I would say yes. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: You think 'small government conservatives' should support labor unions?? Based on what I've heard about working conditions. In this case I would say yes. And the funny thing is all they have to do to support us is just do nothing. Which will allow the unions to actually strike for a change. The railroads bank on the government and federal judges to do their dirty work and never allow an actual strike. A union that can't strike is nearly useless. |
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Posted: 7/14/2022 11:08:53 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 47% wage increase over 5 years?  It was 40% over 6 years. Compounded it came to about 47%. It's a negotiation, a starting point. The railroads initially offered something like 11% over 5 if the conductors basically gave away their jobs, otherwise a massive pay cut. They've been angling at getting rid of conductors entirely and now they don't have the manpower to cover what they need to run trains and they're in a pickle. |
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Posted: 7/14/2022 11:18:56 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: If the job and wages are so horrible why do the workers stay? I wouldn't call the wages horrible but it's not worth the bullshit you put up with. As of the last time I saw in the middle of June something like 1600 tye had quit retired or been fired since late December. That's out of about 16 or 17k for bnsf. A rate that's unheard of. More are planning on leaving after getting the backpay in this contract and others will if the raise isn't high enough. Literally the worst thing they could do if they actually gave a crap about the supply chain and retaining employees and they've done it. Don't worry about a strike, if we're not allowed to and a crappy contract is shoved down our throats you'll see real supply chain issues as more leave. |
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Posted: 7/14/2022 11:30:31 PM EDT
[#8]
1 of 2 things needs to happen to fix this long term. Either significantly increase wages or improve work life balance. Based on recent policies, it doesn’t appear that work life balance is headed in the right direction.
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Posted: 7/14/2022 11:34:31 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I wouldn't call the wages horrible but it's not worth the bullshit you put up with. As of the last time I saw in the middle of June something like 1600 tye had quit retired or been fired since late December. That's our of about 16 or 17k for bnsf. A rare that's unheard of. More are planning on leaving after getting the backpay in this contract and other's will if the raise isn't high enough. Literally the worst thing they could do if they actually gave a crap about the supply chain and retaining employees and they've done it. Don't worry about a strike, if we're not allowed to and a crappy contract is shoved down our throats you'll see real supply chain issues as more leave. A race to the bottom, either by a price war or in this case an OR war, is never successful for any organizations involved. The short term gains erode long term viability. |
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Posted: 7/14/2022 11:41:28 PM EDT
[#10]
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Posted: 7/14/2022 11:43:10 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 25 years ago they had a giant backlog/traffic jam in Houston of trains. The rocks they were shipping for bridge construction sat in a yard/side rail there for months. I think it finally cleared up after over 6 months. Not sure what the problem was. One of the shops I do work for gets all their steel via rail and have a spur. Had a huge impact on them and had to have it all shipped in via truck. That was the Union Pacific RR really fucking up their takeover of the Southern Pacific RR. |
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Posted: 7/14/2022 11:46:37 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Based on what I've heard about working conditions. In this case I would say yes. Absolutely this. There comes a point where corporations are on the same tier of shit as the state, and many have hit that point. |
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Posted: 7/14/2022 11:55:19 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Twenty two dollars a fucking hour.  ETA: Assuming you work only the "standard" hours. Which you can't. The average salary - again going by 160 hour months - is $27. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Going to go ahead and disagree with you here. The railroads really do treat employees like shit - used as hard as possible as often as possible past all reason and then dumped. Going from one bleary-eyed day long shift into another with a "lovely' two or four hour break in between isn't exactly uncommon. Hire more people? Perish the thought. Pay more to encourage more applicants? We're not made of money! You need sick/bereavement leave? Prepare to be punished heavily. It's bad. It's really goddamn bad. ETA: Here's the comment from the last thread's linked article that really lays it all out. Sounds horrible. I thought my jobs points system were bad. Whats the base pay thats going to go up by 47% in 5 years? Twenty two dollars a fucking hour. ETA: Assuming you work only the "standard" hours. Which you can't. The average salary - again going by 160 hour months - is $27. I am not sure how that hourly rate was calculated. I suspect it must include all time spent in the hotel at the away from home terminal. Which, IMO, is sort of misleading. I don’t know if that includes any heldaway pay, either. I will say that as a RCO switch foreman, my hourly rate would work out to just under $41/ hr. That is about as good as it gets in the yard. Newhire conductor trainees start out here at $24/hr. |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 1:12:52 AM EDT
[#14]
An inb4 in an OP?
Strange. |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 1:16:08 AM EDT
[#15]
Buy your rice and beans now!
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Posted: 7/15/2022 1:31:22 AM EDT
[#16]
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Posted: 7/15/2022 1:33:30 AM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Perfect timing! The swiss cheese is lining up |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 1:46:58 AM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Rail is a lot closer to trucking when you look at ton miles. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/2117/85D26AA1-3D27-4534-BEF7-D18689FB08EF_jpe-2453341.JPG |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 1:51:24 AM EDT
[#19]
great, why not.
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Posted: 7/15/2022 2:01:07 AM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Obviously trucking makes for the lions share because distribution nodes and point of sale retailers are not typically accessible by rail or water. I've always heard that water transport was the most efficient, followed by rail, then truck. Not sure if true or not, but a disruption in rail transport nation wide in the midst of everything else going on could have dramatic effects. I'm trying hard not to be a doomer here, but I'm starting to wonder how many nails this coffin can take Part of the current supply chain crisis is due to understaffed Class 1 railroads. It already is being disrupted and the portion they've been causing has been increasing. |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 2:06:17 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I’m sure our Transportation Secretary can handle this easily. Buttplug is all over it. Surely he will be able to handle it after all the maternity leave he got for all his hard work laboring for child birth and the extra incentives for breast feeding naturally...... |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 2:08:25 AM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted: At some point it’s going to be necessary to expand social security to all employed persons nationwide. Including railroad and government employees. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: NO. Railroad employees have railroad retirement, NOT "pensions". It's a government administered retirement with two tiers: Tier 1 is essentially the same as SS, and pays out the same, then there is "Tier II" which is an additional annuity on top of that. However, the system is not taxpayer dependent, it's 100% solvent and funded by the workers, and the railroad companies. It's TOTALLY SOLVENT! And I worked in the industry for 26 years so far, railroad guys earn the shit out of that retirement. Guess what politicians is famous for proposing to eliminate Railroad Retirement and just roll the funds and retirees into Social Security? With a BIG hit in retirement pay for retirees? PAUL FUCKING RYAN (R). At some point it’s going to be necessary to expand social security to all employed persons nationwide. Including railroad and government employees. Someone hasn't been paying attention since at least 1986, think it was 1983 though. |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 8:49:17 AM EDT
[#23]
Friday call was interesting, plenty of us think a strike is happening. No one knows what to think with this administration in charge.
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Posted: 7/15/2022 9:01:10 AM EDT
[#24]
Good article from a leading industry site.
America’s freight railroads are incredibly chaotic right now. I work in CSX's Nashville yard. To say it's fucked is not a minor understatement. The whole industry is fucked. I've told multiple people asking about putting in for conductor not no but fuck no, unless you're recommending the job to someone you secretly hate. The strike won't happen until mid-August I think. PEB has 30 days then after that, if no contract is forced, the various unions can strike. |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 9:30:10 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Good article from a leading industry site. America’s freight railroads are incredibly chaotic right now. I work in CSX's Nashville yard. To say it's fucked is not a minor understatement. The whole industry is fucked. I've told multiple people asking about putting in for conductor not no but fuck no, unless you're recommending the job to someone you secretly hate. The strike won't happen until mid-August I think. PEB has 30 days then after that, if no contract is forced, the various unions can strike. Biden has till 11:59 pm Sunday to appoint a board. If he doesn’t do that we strike. It’s pretty clear his handlers want to ruin this country and this would definitely be a crippling blow if they choose not to have him appoint a board. It would put this country in a state of emergency then guess what! Biden can do anything he wants in a state of emergency |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 9:45:51 AM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted: In 2017 we got 13.1% over FIVE years... Hows that possible? Because the RR unions suck just as bad as airline unions. TC |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 9:53:53 AM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Biden has till 11:59 pm Sunday to appoint a board. If he doesn’t do that we strike. It’s pretty clear his handlers want to ruin this country and this would definitely be a crippling blow if they choose not to have him appoint a board. It would put this country in a state of emergency then guess what! Biden can do anything he wants in a state of emergency Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Good article from a leading industry site. America’s freight railroads are incredibly chaotic right now. I work in CSX's Nashville yard. To say it's fucked is not a minor understatement. The whole industry is fucked. I've told multiple people asking about putting in for conductor not no but fuck no, unless you're recommending the job to someone you secretly hate. The strike won't happen until mid-August I think. PEB has 30 days then after that, if no contract is forced, the various unions can strike. Biden has till 11:59 pm Sunday to appoint a board. If he doesn’t do that we strike. It’s pretty clear his handlers want to ruin this country and this would definitely be a crippling blow if they choose not to have him appoint a board. It would put this country in a state of emergency then guess what! Biden can do anything he wants in a state of emergency I know. Every union rep I've spoken to here fully expect a PEB to be implemented Sunday evening. What happens during the following 30 day period is anyone's guess. I think the unions are banking in on calling in some unused favors for all these votes for the past 30 years. I'll be surprised if it actually stretches to a true strike. |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 10:14:10 AM EDT
[#28]
BREAKING:
BNSF train derailment happened yesterday by Stanley, ND on the Glasgow sub. Double main tracks both taken out as well as both cross over switches. Guys I’m talking to that are there say 40+ cars on the ground. Estimated 100 40 foot panels will need to be installed. This is BNSF’s main priority line for shipping freight and Amtrak from Washington to Chicago I have a feeling this will take longer than expected.. probably won’t be done and surfaced until Monday / Tuesday |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 10:35:07 AM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryAfter reading that article, my first thought was that Biden will probably fuck this up like he's fucked up every other major issue he's dealt with so far. |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 10:43:03 AM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Friday call was interesting, plenty of us think a strike is happening. No one knows what to think with this administration in charge. I wonder if the Biden Administration will really step in and stop a strike given their Union backers and bag men. Probably appoint the "board" that tries once again to get both sides to an agreement and then the resulting "cooling off" period before it's back to a strike again. I have a feeling they will risk the Union wrath just to get it past the midterm elections. Can't take another hit to the economy. The timing isn't exactly in their favor. Although now that I've said that I remind myself of all the other Biden Admin fuck ups and stupid stuff that's happened over the past three years and go "Ya know, maybe it could happen".  While it would cause a lot of damage I'm almost thinking they should just let it go to a strike. Let the Unions and Companies fight it out (not literally, just figuratively) and get it all settled. RR company management and the hedge funds behind them have certainly bought a lot of this on themselves. |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 10:43:05 AM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted: After reading that article, my first thought was that Biden will probably fuck this up like he's fucked up every other major issue he's dealt with so far. ...on purpose. It fits perfectly with their goals of killing the fossil fuel industry. |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 10:55:47 AM EDT
[#32]
I wonder if brandon’s handlers know that the railroad union’s membership hates him. I only know of a couple people who are democrats.
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Posted: 7/15/2022 11:11:35 AM EDT
[#33]
Typically dock or rail union strikes kick off then a federal judge orders them back to work.
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Posted: 7/15/2022 11:15:36 AM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Typically dock or rail union strikes kick off then a federal judge orders them back to work. Typically. But times are different. Railroads are already short handed from everyone resigning and retiring. Railroads can’t keep new hires because they all quit. I witness it first hand. So what the feds force us back? More will just quit. |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 11:17:54 AM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Good article from a leading industry site. America’s freight railroads are incredibly chaotic right now. Quote HistoryQuoted: Good article from a leading industry site. America’s freight railroads are incredibly chaotic right now. To address low staff, Berkshire Hathaway’s BNSF took one particularly unpopular approach. In February, BNSF began to penalize employees who took time off for fatigue, family emergencies or illness. Union officials said 700 rail crew left as a result of the policy. The $23.3 billion railroader nixed the policy in June.  Hmmmm, that would be news to those of us that work there. They made some minor “improvements”, more like “too little, too late” kind of stuff. But the new policy still remains in effect. |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 11:23:46 AM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: BREAKING: BNSF train derailment happened yesterday by Stanley, ND on the Glasgow sub. Double main tracks both taken out as well as both cross over switches. Guys I’m talking to that are there say 40+ cars on the ground. Estimated 100 40 foot panels will need to be installed. This is BNSF’s main priority line for shipping freight and Amtrak from Washington to Chicago I have a feeling this will take longer than expected.. probably won’t be done and surfaced until Monday / Tuesday Who is John Galt? |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 11:29:16 AM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Typically. But times are different. Railroads are already short handed from everyone resigning and retiring. Railroads can’t keep new hires because they all quit. I witness it first hand. So what the feds force us back? More will just quit. When people quit you cant order them back to work when they no longer work there~ |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 11:34:29 AM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Absolutely this. There comes a point where corporations are on the same tier of shit as the state, and many have hit that point. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Based on what I've heard about working conditions. In this case I would say yes. Absolutely this. There comes a point where corporations are on the same tier of shit as the state, and many have hit that point. I’m about 18y in and we have never struck. About 2000 have quit now since Jan, mostly after their new attendance “policy”. I understand the hate for unions. I’m generally against them unless the work force is thousands under a large cooperation. Then I do see the need considering we’re basically up against Wall Street. Black rock, vanguard, and Berkshire own pretty much everything in the world. Look it up! With that said, I don’t have any faith in the Government doing any positive thing here. So union, yes, but Contract be dammed I would gladly give up my job if it means we could turn this country around. |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 11:43:36 AM EDT
[#39]
My line of thought is if biden was going to appoint a PEB why wait until the last minute? I guess it kicks the can further down the road, but why not do it right away. I’m thinking his advisers either want to burn the country down or think the carriers will cave.
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Posted: 7/15/2022 11:46:30 AM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted: My line of thought is if biden was going to appoint a PEB why wait until the last minute? I guess it kicks the can further down the road, but why not do it right away. I’m thinking his advisers either want to burn the country down or think the carriers will cave. They'd lose three days of this current 30 day "cooling down" period that's mandated as part of the process. Yes, it's all about kicking the can down the road. |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 11:47:07 AM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Going to go ahead and disagree with you here. The railroads really do treat employees like shit - used as hard as possible as often as possible past all reason and then dumped. Going from one bleary-eyed day long shift into another with a "lovely' two or four hour break in between isn't exactly uncommon. Hire more people? Perish the thought. Pay more to encourage more applicants? We're not made of money! You need sick/bereavement leave? Prepare to be punished heavily. It's bad. It's really goddamn bad. ETA: Here's the comment from the last thread's linked article that really lays it all out. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Fuck the unions. Damned bastards. Biden will bail the unions out. Crooks help crooks. Going to go ahead and disagree with you here. The railroads really do treat employees like shit - used as hard as possible as often as possible past all reason and then dumped. Going from one bleary-eyed day long shift into another with a "lovely' two or four hour break in between isn't exactly uncommon. Hire more people? Perish the thought. Pay more to encourage more applicants? We're not made of money! You need sick/bereavement leave? Prepare to be punished heavily. It's bad. It's really goddamn bad. ETA: Here's the comment from the last thread's linked article that really lays it all out. I work for BNSF as an engineer. The policy punishes individuals for ANY kind of layoff, be it “union business” (for union local chairman), people using FMLA, DIF (death in family), Jury Duty, even using your paid layoffs, such as vacation or paid leave days. What it comes down to in my opinion, is the company HATES FMLA and has no control over it. They feel doctors hand it out “like opioids in the 90’s” and they cannot do anything about it. Under the old attendance policy, you had a “rolling 90 day” of which you were required to be available in “unassigned service” 75% of the time. So in essence, one was allowed 5 weekday layoffs and 2 weekend layoffs each month for a total of 7 unpaid layoffs. Under this new “points system”, there is no “rolling 90 day period”. Instead, you’re given 30 points. Every layoff adds points. For example Mon – Thurs layoff = 2 points, Fri & Sat = 4 points, Sun = 3 points. Holidays and “high impact days” (Mothers Day, Father’s Day, Halloween, Black Friday, along with every holiday day prior and day of basically) = 8 points. Missed call or layoff on call = 15 points. Points only go up, never down, unless you work 15 straight days without ANY KIND OF LAYOFF WHATSOEVER, in which case you earn 4 points. Once you reach 30 points, you’re in violation and subject to discipline and dismissal. After violation the first time and discipline, they reduce you from 30 points to 15 points. So for example, if I layoff one day every 14 days, two layoffs each month, spaced 2 weeks apart, I’d be in trouble within a 2 – 4 month time frame, JUST FOR TAKING 2 DAYS OFF EACH MONTH !!!!!! This Policy is heinous and will bring 80%+ of employees in trouble at some point, many sooner rather than later. But the rail unions have been around for a long time. Why haven't they fixed this? |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 11:47:50 AM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Mav, do you remember the number of that truck driving school that was on TV the other night Truck Masters, I think... |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 11:48:26 AM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted: But the rail unions have been around for a long time. Why haven't they fixed this? Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Fuck the unions. Damned bastards. Biden will bail the unions out. Crooks help crooks. Going to go ahead and disagree with you here. The railroads really do treat employees like shit - used as hard as possible as often as possible past all reason and then dumped. Going from one bleary-eyed day long shift into another with a "lovely' two or four hour break in between isn't exactly uncommon. Hire more people? Perish the thought. Pay more to encourage more applicants? We're not made of money! You need sick/bereavement leave? Prepare to be punished heavily. It's bad. It's really goddamn bad. ETA: Here's the comment from the last thread's linked article that really lays it all out. I work for BNSF as an engineer. The policy punishes individuals for ANY kind of layoff, be it “union business” (for union local chairman), people using FMLA, DIF (death in family), Jury Duty, even using your paid layoffs, such as vacation or paid leave days. What it comes down to in my opinion, is the company HATES FMLA and has no control over it. They feel doctors hand it out “like opioids in the 90’s” and they cannot do anything about it. Under the old attendance policy, you had a “rolling 90 day” of which you were required to be available in “unassigned service” 75% of the time. So in essence, one was allowed 5 weekday layoffs and 2 weekend layoffs each month for a total of 7 unpaid layoffs. Under this new “points system”, there is no “rolling 90 day period”. Instead, you’re given 30 points. Every layoff adds points. For example Mon – Thurs layoff = 2 points, Fri & Sat = 4 points, Sun = 3 points. Holidays and “high impact days” (Mothers Day, Father’s Day, Halloween, Black Friday, along with every holiday day prior and day of basically) = 8 points. Missed call or layoff on call = 15 points. Points only go up, never down, unless you work 15 straight days without ANY KIND OF LAYOFF WHATSOEVER, in which case you earn 4 points. Once you reach 30 points, you’re in violation and subject to discipline and dismissal. After violation the first time and discipline, they reduce you from 30 points to 15 points. So for example, if I layoff one day every 14 days, two layoffs each month, spaced 2 weeks apart, I’d be in trouble within a 2 – 4 month time frame, JUST FOR TAKING 2 DAYS OFF EACH MONTH !!!!!! This Policy is heinous and will bring 80%+ of employees in trouble at some point, many sooner rather than later. But the rail unions have been around for a long time. Why haven't they fixed this? Their hands are really tied by the RLA. |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 11:53:44 AM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Honest question: What is actually shipped by rail these days? I know industrial chemicals are shipped in tanker cars, but what else? food appliances cars building materials Beer , beverages Most large food distributions have rail delivery |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 11:54:38 AM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted: My line of thought is if biden was going to appoint a PEB why wait until the last minute? To make the railroad execs nervous. They’re already taking a ton of heat from the STB. Earnings calls for all railroads, excluding BNSF, also start next week. The timing is very convenient. It’s a scare tactic. |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 11:58:08 AM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have nothing to add other than I had to spend a couple of days in the shithole of North Platte, NE a few weeks back and went to the railroad museum. The museum itself was a sad gift shop but the observation deck was cool. Giant rail yard. Giant maintenance 'hangar' (I don't know the train lingo.) must have been 100 or more locomotives in the yard. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/131934/C8980D6A-C713-4E5D-9E33-955D8AD7E59D-2452599.jpg |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 12:06:00 PM EDT
[#47]
Quoted: Potential National Freight Rail Strike Looms The United States is now on the cusp of a potential freight railroad strike that could hamper an already struggling supply chain. For the past two years, 12 rail unions have been negotiating with major freight railroads to agree to a new national labor contract. The union has demanded a 47 percent wage increase over five years and safer working conditions for the benefit of both workers and bystanders. The National Mediation Board (NMB), the independent government agency tasked with meditating airline and railroad industry labor-management disputes, decided to release both sides from mediation in mid-June. This motion began a 30-day cool-down period where unions would be legally allowed to strike at its conclusion if no federal action is taken. The cool-down period ends on July 18th. Late yesterday, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) voted to authorize a strike after the deadline if it’s deemed necessary to secure a contract. A majority — 99.5 percent — of BLET members voted in favor of the strike authorization. BLET President Dennis R. Pierce heads a ten-union coalition in the contract negotiations. Of the 115,000 workers impacted by negotiations, 23,000 are BLET members. Before the release from mediation, the unions called for the NMB to recommend the appointment of a Presidential Emergency Board (PEB), a binding third-party arbitration body. Now, President Joe Biden faces a decision to either appoint a PEB or let negotiations continue down its current course towards a potential national strike. Even a partial work stoppage could greatly impact the availability and pricing of goods transported by rail. In before all the small government conservatives demand that bigfedgov and President Biden step in and save them. I'd prefer they just disband the unions. |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 12:13:49 PM EDT
[#48]
Quoted: Late yesterday, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) voted to authorize a strike after the deadline if it’s deemed necessary to secure a contract. A majority — 99.5 percent — of BLET members voted in favor of the strike authorization. BLET President Dennis R. Pierce heads a ten-union coalition in the contract negotiations. Of the 115,000 workers impacted by negotiations, 23,000 are BLET members.  Attached File |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 12:14:31 PM EDT
[#49]
So, what do you think the odds are of a strike actually happening, OP?
I’d say low and odds are it will be short if it does happen. But Biden’s America is an odd place, so what do I know? |
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Posted: 7/15/2022 12:30:05 PM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted: To make the railroad execs nervous. They’re already taking a ton of heat from the STB. Earnings calls for all railroads, excluding BNSF, also start next week. The timing is very convenient. It’s a scare tactic. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: My line of thought is if biden was going to appoint a PEB why wait until the last minute? To make the railroad execs nervous. They’re already taking a ton of heat from the STB. Earnings calls for all railroads, excluding BNSF, also start next week. The timing is very convenient. It’s a scare tactic. I think they let these things go down to the wire hoping to maximize the time for them to resolve themselves. But…. Did NMB Cozy-Up to Rail Labor? 
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