US railroad labor issues

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I left a Facebook group over this today, because someone posted a bunch of jargon about the "violence of the ruling class". Probably a LARPing college kid.
It is a complicated issue for several reasons, and some of the articles I read about it seem very...overblown. Like, The Guardian had an article with the title "Biden just knifed labor unions in the back" which seems like hyperbole to me.
There are three reasons why I think that this makes sense. Not even that I agree with it, but that I think it makes sense:
1. Most of the unions (if not most of their members), had ratified the agreement. Even the ones who didn't were close in the vote. Most of what the unions were seeking was granted. The remaining item was paid leave, which is a really reasonable thing to want. But it was at least a partial victory for the unions, including a retroactive pay raise.
2. The people that would suffer most from this are the poorest people, both because it is going to disrupt employment, and also because if there is inflation in the price of food, they are going to be hit the hardest. Which brings up a second issue---railroad workers are union workers, but they are also paid more like professionals. I've read different estimates (people on here can probably correct me about this) but engineers/conductors make anywhere from around $60-100,000 a year. There are many people in the US making much less than that. It turns into a decision about a small amount of workers that are already making in the high five or low six figures, versus millions and millions of retail and other low wage earners that might be making $20,000 a year or less. I can certainly understand the utilitarian argument that they are weighing a few hundred thousand people who are already middle class against millions of people who are hovering next to poverty.
3. At least in the house, the vote included most of the leave provisions that were the next thing that the Unions wanted to win. The problem is that the Senate is much more conservative. And that is something that neither the Administration or the House can do anything about. And the incoming house is more conservative. So they basically had three weeks to think of something.
I am not saying it is a perfect solution, but the people who are suggesting, quite seriously, that "the solution is just to nationalize the railroads" are...playing Fantasy Football, not trying to actually come up with solutions.
So my opinion is---the Unions got most of what they wanted, the Democratic Administration and Congress had limited political resources, and had to use them to help millions of people at or below the poverty line that could have been devastated.
At least...that is one way to look at it.
 
And here is another issue that I am not seeing addressed elsewhere:
Why is there a labor shortage in the railroads? I can believe that companies are squeezing their workers, but I am sure that the companies would also like to have more employees. I think that the shortage in railroad workers, and difficult hours, is the same thing that is happening in other sectors, especially health care. As the population ages, there are many key sectors where employee shortages are going to start making working hours more and more difficult. As much as misconduct and mismanagement on big company's part plays a role, there is also a systemic problem which involves training more workers.
 
Why is there a labor shortage in the railroads? I can believe that companies are squeezing their workers, but I am sure that the companies would also like to have more employees. I think that the shortage in railroad workers, and difficult hours, is the same thing that is happening in other sectors, especially health care. As the population ages, there are many key sectors where employee shortages are going to start making working hours more and more difficult. As much as misconduct and mismanagement on big company's part plays a role, there is also a systemic problem which involves training more workers.
Because railroads have spent the last 6 years cutting every bit of costs they can as part of PSR. From operating crews and mechanics to locomotives and car inspectors. their only goal is to pay wall street ever increasing profits. The metrics the use to show they are doing well have been flawed sense their creation 100 years ago.

Completely ignoring the fact in the next 3-5 years crews who were hired on around 2000 in the large coal boom from the west coast are going to be hitting retirement age.
Shop crews are being told to work 18 hour days because there isn't enough staff. the only reason road crews aren't working longer is because they are limited to 12 hours.

The American class 1 (because CN and CP do it a bit differently) refuse to spend money on longer sidings to fit trains which means 50s era siding tracks can not fit the ever growing train lengths. That results in crews often timing out sitting at the end of a double track or in a long siding, requiring a 3rd crew to bused in and resulting in cargo being 12+ hours late
 
Because railroads have spent the last 6 years cutting every bit of costs they can as part of PSR. From operating crews and mechanics to locomotives and car inspectors. their only goal is to pay wall street ever increasing profits. The metrics the use to show they are doing well have been flawed sense their creation 100 years ago.

Completely ignoring the fact in the next 3-5 years crews who were hired on around 2000 in the large coal boom from the west coast are going to be hitting retirement age.
Shop crews are being told to work 18 hour days because there isn't enough staff. the only reason road crews aren't working longer is because they are limited to 12 hours.

The American class 1 (because CN and CP do it a bit differently) refuse to spend money on longer sidings to fit trains which means 50s era siding tracks can not fit the ever growing train lengths. That results in crews often timing out sitting at the end of a double track or in a long siding, requiring a 3rd crew to bused in and resulting in cargo being 12+ hours late
And the class 1's don't care if shipments are late because they have a captive customer base.

The FRA held hearings about this 6 months ago, but it seems that despite a lot of anger, nothing has come of it so far.
 
A majority of current Senators and Representatives were in favor of paid sick leave. We were only six votes away from overriding a filibuster. That is damn close and worth remembering.
It is worth remembering and just because they didn't win the battle here doesn't mean they should give up the fight for this in the long term - hopefully eventually this benefit will be provided. The roads are going to get to the point where they can't find anyone that wants to work there and hopefully that will increase the pressure over time. And it probably in actuality is more like 5 votes away as there were some senators that weren't there to vote - such as Warnock who is campaigning for the runoff. I think we'll see it eventually - and not decades from now.
 
NORFOLK SOUTHERN IS DANGEROUS TO AMERICA: A LETTER BY ARSF GENERAL CHAIRMAN J. LONG

Please find the letter sent on behalf of BMWED American System Rail Federation General Chairman Jonathan Long to Ohio Gov. Michael DeWine regarding the situation in East Palestine, Ohio at the site of the Norfolk Southern derailment and our Brotherhood’s concerns about their original proposal for paid sick leave for NS MOW workers and proper PPE on the ground for workers on the scene.

Similar letters were also sent to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway, and FRA Administrator Amit Bose.

read letter at link below
To read more of the article click here.
 
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