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Back in the 80s RR i worked for had gone four years without a contract. Unions decided to strike so one RR was picked to be the one. Pickett line was set up and lasted 24 hours until Pres put everyone back to work. I expect the same this time. All RRs will not shut down.
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Quoted: Quoted: Honest question: What is actually shipped by rail these days? I know industrial chemicals are shipped in tanker cars, but what else? Mostly everything Yep, anything and everything heavy and or bulky that doesn’t need to move quick. Grain, gravel, sand, clay, cement, fertilizer, coal, scrap metal, ore, oil, petroleum distillates, lumber, cars, military equipment, etc. |
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Quoted: Good, there will be a lot fewer deaths at the crossings caused by those filthy train bitches. All they ever haul are those chinese double stacked containers, headed from the port to your local walmart depot,, loaded to the gills with chinese made shit. View Quote Trains are substantially safer than trucks. Much more rail should move by rain. |
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Demand bigfedgov and Biden step in?
Perish the thought! I'll just go down to the local train yard and drive them daggum things myself! I got a whole chest freezer full of imitation crab meat! I've been waiting for this day! |
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Quoted: Maybe up in OH, but around here they're still hauling coal for the 14 coal fired plants in TX. We're having a hard enough time with electricity as it is. View Quote Up here in Ohio, I'm still seeing plenty of coal trains on the regular. I AM on the busiest mainline in NW OH, though. |
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Quoted: Back in the 80s RR i worked for had gone four years without a contract. Unions decided to strike so one RR was picked to be the one. Pickett line was set up and lasted 24 hours until Pres put everyone back to work. I expect the same this time. All RRs will not shut down. View Quote This. Clinton shut down a pilot strike 30 seconds after it started in 1997. Yes, pilots are indentured servants under the RLA, too. TC ETA: If they are allowed to strike, it’s because it’s part of the weaning of America off consumer goods and energy. |
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Quoted: Leave the Gov out. Just let the RR replace anyone that strikes and let them all pay SS. View Quote The last class in my large terminal they tried to hire 25. They have 1 in it. This week in Chicago they started a class of 26. 9 showed up on Monday, one left the same day. By Tuesday at noon when I was told this another had left. The simple truth is if they don't increase the pay they're not going to be able to find any new employees. |
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In addition to everything mentioned already, local railroad also hauls a lot of trailers for FedEx and UPS, they haul car carriers, and in the morning the Tropicana products go by. Leaving NY daily is a massive trash train as well.
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Quoted: Where will the urban yutes get their free stuff? https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/world-news/2022/01/14/TELEMMGLPICT000282800012_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqOI3Fhg-uVR6pdRIW6-GrkM0ZNIjXA9pBjpK9T0Vz3r0.jpeg https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/train-packages-10.jpg?quality=90&strip=all View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Honest question: What is actually shipped by rail these days? I know industrial chemicals are shipped in tanker cars, but what else? Where will the urban yutes get their free stuff? https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/world-news/2022/01/14/TELEMMGLPICT000282800012_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqOI3Fhg-uVR6pdRIW6-GrkM0ZNIjXA9pBjpK9T0Vz3r0.jpeg https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/train-packages-10.jpg?quality=90&strip=all Railroad fuckery allowed that to happen. That is just outside the UP ICTF facility. |
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I drive by the main north/south line in Western WA daily, live near a track that goes to a small coastal port. Main cars I'm seeing are tankers, lumber, garbage and coal. Not many containers, a lot of containers come into the ports in Seattle and Tacoma but the majority of them must end up on trucks or headed east.
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The union has demanded a 47 percent wage increase over five years... View Quote |
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Quoted: Sounds horrible. I thought my jobs points system were bad. Whats the base pay thats going to go up by 47% in 5 years? View Quote I believe it's based on 2019 rates since that's the last time the RR employees got a raise. So, really the pay increases are 47% amortized since 2019, or just under 5% per year. There was a fairly in-depth discussion at https://www.ar15.com/forums/general/Pepper-your-angus-in-90-days-possible-country-wide-railway-shutdown/5-2560903/ about a month ago. |
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If you think trucks will pick up the slack, I've got news for you
There is no slack, and this will be even more reason for drivers to quit. Government as usual, fucks up everything. |
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Quoted: The NMB supposedly had a last ditch stakeholder meeting on the 12th, I'm trying to find out what happened with that but am having no luck. I expect we'll see a PEB appointed in short order. I don't expect a strike to actually occur, it would be a PR nightmare seeing as the current focus is on the carriers themselves fucking up the railroad View Quote |
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Quoted: View Quote IIRC in 2010 we got 17% over FIVE years and that was a record % at the time. In 2017 we got 13.1% over FIVE years... These raises have not really kept up with the cost of living let alone the increases in our out of pocket medical expenses per the new agreements...wages have been stagnent at the RR for quite some time. |
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Will this strike also shut down AMTRAK if strike does occur?
Wife is up in New York visiting our daughter. Anyone know for certain? |
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We could be moving the shit out of this freight but the arrogance of the class 1 RR's apparantly knows no bounds.
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/los-angeles-port-boss-fix-import-rail-service-or-risk-nationwide-logjam While POTUS can order the unions back to work so the economy isn't harmed who's going to order the RR's to quit harming the country by slow rolling the nations economy? |
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If the job and wages are so horrible why do the workers stay?
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Quoted: Will this strike also shut down AMTRAK if strike does occur? Wife is up in New York visiting our daughter. Anyone know for certain? View Quote I'm 99% certain they're not part of this bargening and thus wouldn't strike....BUT IF trains are stopped on mainlines Amtrak may not have rail to run on. But...I really don't expect a strike, POTUS himself would have to tell them TO strike IMO for that to happen, and while NORMALLY I'd say POTUS would never say that...with this cat who knows. |
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Quoted: I'm 99% certain they're not part of this bargening and thus wouldn't strike....BUT IF trains are stopped on mainlines Amtrak may not have rail to run on. But...I really don't expect a strike, POTUS himself would have to tell them TO strike IMO for that to happen, and while NORMALLY I'd say POTUS would never say that...with this cat who knows. View Quote Thanks! Hopefully she will be able to get home August 1st. |
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Quoted: We could be moving the shit out of this freight but the arrogance of the class 1 RR's apparantly knows no bounds. https://www.freightwaves.com/news/los-angeles-port-boss-fix-import-rail-service-or-risk-nationwide-logjam While POTUS can order the unions back to work so the economy isn't harmed who's going to order the RR's to quit harming the country by slow rolling the nations economy? View Quote The Surface Transportation Board, which does have statutory authority. |
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Quoted: If you think trucks will pick up the slack, I've got news for you There is no slack, and this will be even more reason for drivers to quit. Government as usual, fucks up everything. View Quote Iirc, a lot of DEF gets shipped by rail, and the railroads have already cut back how much of it they'll ship. That's starting to make sense. |
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Quoted: If the job and wages are so horrible why do the workers stay? View Quote If you've been there for 10yrs or more you feel pretty much invested in the retirement plan, which you DO NOT take with you if you quit before retiring in most if not all cases. Having said that I know guys with 20+ years (need 30 years of service AND be age 60 for FULL retirement $$) that are actively seeking new careers and are willing to walk away from the pension in order to have a better quality if life. |
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Given the current state of the supply chain, under no circumstance will any class 1 railroad be allowed to strike for more than 87 seconds.
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Quoted: If the job and wages are so horrible why do the workers stay? View Quote |
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Quoted: Didn't he just bail out their pensions? Good thing he is using his money, not ours. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Fuck the unions. Damned bastards. Biden will bail the unions out. Crooks help crooks. Didn't he just bail out their pensions? Good thing he is using his money, not ours. 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). |
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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). View Quote yup And question if I may, tried to IM but yer box is full UP removed all their Hi Wide detectors from service and now say they have a new technology that protects bridges, etc. But...they don't say what that tech is or how a crew is supposed to be informed of an issue in order to stop and inspect prior to damaging the bridge... Do you have any insight on this? thanks |
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From a retired BLET railroader.....won't ever happen.
It says 99.5% of BLET members voted to authorize a strike. What they didn't tell you is what percent of the total members even bothered to vote. The last BLET contract that was ratified had way less than 50% of eligible dues payers even bother to vote. If a representation vote were taken and that were to happen the union representation would be decertified. Both Clinton and Obama were in office during negotiations and the BLET thought they were going to be the unions savior with PEB's but they weren't. Biden will be no different. |
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Quoted: IIRC in 2010 we got 17% over FIVE years and that was a record % at the time. In 2017 we got 13.1% over FIVE years... These raises have not really kept up with the cost of living let alone the increases in our out of pocket medical expenses per the new agreements...wages have been stagnent at the RR for quite some time. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: These raises have not really kept up with the cost of living let alone the increases in our out of pocket medical expenses per the new agreements...wages have been stagnent at the RR for quite some time. That does sound bad. I know nothing of RR pay, but an almost 50% increase I understand. lol |
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Quoted: Good, there will be a lot fewer deaths at the crossings caused by those filthy train bitches. All they ever haul are those chinese double stacked containers, headed from the port to your local walmart depot,, loaded to the gills with chinese made shit. View Quote I'm not sure you understand how railroad crossings work. |
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Quoted: Oh and they've been flexing for sure, that emergency order to get UP to get those grain trains moving was nice to see but there needs to be more. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: The Surface Transportation Board, which does have statutory authority. Oh and they've been flexing for sure, that emergency order to get UP to get those grain trains moving was nice to see but there needs to be more. Agreed. Much more. |
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#1 Not even the one of the big unions knows anything about a 47% wage increase demand... #2 I'll restate for you past raises... IIRC in 2010 we got 17% over FIVE years and that was a record % at the time. In 2017 we got 13.1% over FIVE years... These raises have not really kept up with the cost of living let alone the increases in our out of pocket medical expenses per the new agreements...wages have been stagnent at the RR for quite some time. The CURRRENT company offer is 16% over FIVE years. As far as the 47% number it is addressed here. SMART Transportation Division (SMART-TD) would like to take a few moments to update the thousands of essential rail workers whom we proudly represent, the rail shippers and customers, as well as the public at large on the real status of labor negotiations and about the serious factual misrepresentations that the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and railroad representatives are stating as “FACT” surrounding the “railroad labor negotiations and the need to avert a network shutdown.” Their claims are simply not true. Let me be clear, rail labor is NOT looking to strike or shut down the nation’s economy at the expense of everyone. We want and deserve a fair agreement for our members. We strongly believe that a Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) will help us to garner that without the necessity of a strike. This does not mean that we will not do what’s necessary to get a fair agreement, but rather we expect the Railway Labor Act (RLA) to do its job as it has in the past so that it does not come to that. We are fully prepared to act if the provisions of the RLA get to the point of self-help or strike. I was present and testified with a full team of experts in front of the Surface Transportation Board (STB) on April 26th and 27th in Washington D.C., concerning the massive network disruptions, the negative effects of Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR), and the pending supply chain collapse due to railroad mismanagement of their networks. Shippers don’t know when they will be serviced, and the workforce doesn’t know when we will be going to work. I was proud to testify to make it known that we fully support our customers’ efforts to have the reliable and consistent service that they not only deserve, but also contracted with the railroad(s) for. I made it clear then, and now do so once again, that we stand ready to do everything within our power to keep freight moving and to support this country’s supply chain and economy. Much like the testimony delivered by the railroads and AAR at the STB hearings, again there’s a steady stream of lip service, half-truths and misleading innuendo trying to skew the truth about the status of negotiations. I would also note that, to date, the AAR has not put forth any data supporting the “fair” percentage wage increases they are proposing and “provide well-deserved compensation increases to our essential employees and are consistent with labor market benchmarks.” What they are purporting as fair is only fair in their eyes and obviously not seen as “fair” by their essential employees who are quitting their jobs in record numbers. I have been at the negotiating table. I have yet to see any fair proposals put forth by the carriers in three years of negotiations. The benchmarks they are using at the negotiating table were established well before the pandemic and inflation occurred. I would also cite the fact that due to the PSR scheme worker productivity is running at such a high level that it is literally about to snap like an overstretched cable or chain. Assuredly, a 16% wage increase over five years is not acceptable by today’s benchmarks. The railroads’ plans to increase the employees’ share of healthcare costs to such a point that the raises become net-zero is not reflective of rail carriers’ record profits or of their desire to keep their “valued freight rail customers,” isolated from further network disruptions caused by lack of manpower. The proposed five-year increases also come below all standard cost of living metrics. The railroads these days are having a very difficult time attracting potential new employees because of their refusal to bargain in conjunction with today’s benchmarks, much in the same way that they refuse to acknowledge shippers’ need to have sufficient and reliable service in accordance with their common carrier obligations. On multiple occasions, SMART-TD has stood up for shippers, while carriers lacked any interest in fixing the current shipping problems that worsen by the day. PSR is the reason. Everyone knows it. Legislation may be needed for a permanent fix to the problem, and I think that day is coming soon. The quickest fix is to stop the railroads from running such ridiculously long trains, which the current infrastructure can’t handle, and get back to basics now! Instead, they cajole shippers to help them save a few dollars of their record profits, wanting to tip the scales against the very people who do the work and who are chiefly responsible for getting the railroads their profits. This is appalling. By hanging the fear of service disruptions in front of the shippers, it would almost be comical if the current state of the supply chain situation were not so dire. Meanwhile, the tales told by the mouthpieces of the carriers keep getting bigger and bigger. One such fish tale dangled in front of people mentions that labor seeks a 47% wage increase. Even the head of the National Railway Labor Conference can’t provide the evidence to document this whopper. The truth is the three biggest railroads at the negotiating table don’t want to part with ANY of their record profits, nor do they wish to reward the workers who have busted their asses for the last three years without a raise, to get them those record profits. The shareholders were rewarded with record buybacks of $10 billion. Where is the reward for the employees who are actually doing the back-breaking work to make those buybacks possible? With a stale contract that has been in effect since prior to inflation taking hold, the workers have nothing to show for their blood, sweat and tears, as well as the sacrifices they and their families have made. Pouring on the risk and absurdity, the big 3 claim they wish to get a deal done given those “fair” proposals they’ve allegedly made. What they’re not telling everyone is that instead of negotiating with labor at the national table to get this deal done, they are instead more concerned with keeping up their mediation meetings in an attempt to get a crew-consist agreement completed to further reduce the rail workforce, thanks to the allegedly “fair” arbitrator selection process out of the previous National Mediation Board (NMB). Carriers again are attempting to go to one person occupying the cab of a freight train. (Their ultimate stated goal is zero crewmembers on trains frequently carrying hazardous freight.) Such a measure would put the safety of our communities at serious risk and the supply chain in dire jeopardy, more so than it is right now. Were carriers so concerned about a fair national agreement to stop service disruptions, one would think they would concentrate on the goal of a national agreement. Instead, carrier execs and their cronies are off for two weeks at a time trying to find a way to get rid of more employees rather than trying to come up with a fair and equitable agreement to keep the ones they now have. UNBELIEVEABLE, but not surprising! Class 1 railroads are not just servicing their own greed and that of Wall Street, they are working against serving their own customers, their own workforce, the families of their employees, the communities they serve and the American economy. This strategy will net them those short-term monetary gains they desire at the expense of the long-term viability of the American supply chain, our national security and the long-term health of the national economy. Lastly, I find it very offensive that the railroads, via the AAR, would reach out to the shippers to assist their efforts in advocating for so-called “fair-minded” arbitrators with rail industry experience to the Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) to help facilitate what they perceive to be a reasonable agreement and avoid network disruptions. We all know that getting a good contract for the workforce will not only stop the bleeding, but it will also help employee morale and keep the supply chain moving. Absent an enticing contract, the current workforce will continue to shrink and worsen the situation more than any other factors possibly could. I can’t stop my members from leaving the industry, but the railroads can by offering a truly fair and equitable agreement with wage increases, no changes to healthcare costs and predictable scheduling, among other asks. To the rail customers: I urge you to respond to the AAR’s request by telling them that you support SMART-TD and labor as we have supported you. We have faith that the Railway Labor Act process will work just fine, much like it always has since 1934, and you should too. Don’t let yourselves “get railroaded” by the AAR. America’s Class 1 railroads are attempting to “railroad” customers, railroad employees, their families, and the American public, as a whole, and “attention must be paid.” Don’t listen to their propaganda. Do your research and look at the facts for what they are. I can assure you, if the carriers get what they are proposing, things will only get worse and it will be their own fault. |
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Honest question - how would the RR react if newer employees who were unencumbered by golden handcuffs simply found new jobs and split with no notice?
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Quoted: I'm not sure you understand how railroad crossings work. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Good, there will be a lot fewer deaths at the crossings caused by those filthy train bitches. All they ever haul are those chinese double stacked containers, headed from the port to your local walmart depot,, loaded to the gills with chinese made shit. I'm not sure you understand how railroad crossings work. You are terrible at sarcasm. |
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Quoted: Not sure how long old contract has been expired but the one they are working on is for 5 years but you can bet they will work under this contract for at least 8 years before the next one. View Quote Expired 12/31/19 So we'll most certainly be looking at "back pay" from 1/1/20 till when the new contract is signed. |
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Quoted: Honest question - how would the RR react if newer employees who were unencumbered by golden handcuffs simply found new jobs and split with no notice? View Quote Well that's happening with new hires and has been for at least a year. Are you asking if all current employees were replaced with new employees that walked soon after? |
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