Rail Strike

[mikewof]

July 18 deadline is coming, union overwhelmingly supports the strike, potential for nationwide strike will follow ...

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/article263406193.html

Rail operators apparently confident they can ride it out -- which is insane to me, but it seems corporate America still believes it is 2016 -- and over a hundred thousand rail workers have been without a contract since 2017. British commuter rail unions seem ready to join. Technically, the current administration can pull a pro-corporate intervention the way Reagan did with PATCO, but it seems unlikely that even the current do-little administration would throw this many constituents under the bus, and Biden actually pledged to be a union-friendly President on his campaign.

If the July 18 deadline passes without resolution, then the national strike will most likely hit at the end of the month.

As yet another one of your sailing nerds with a 3-knot shitbox and a 55-knot landboard, I think this if fucking awesome. This is the first time in my life that I have seen regular workers finally get a leg up on their own futures. The new ambition for the Gen-Zers of the USA will be to get a union job. It's a good time to be alive and I bet that most of us sailing fuckers are going to support the rail workers.

 

[Lark]

Good to know, Huge jump of inflation, both bulk goods and container cargo.

 

[βhyde]

July 18 deadline is coming, union overwhelmingly supports the strike, potential for nationwide strike will follow ...

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/article263406193.html

Rail operators apparently confident they can ride it out -- which is insane to me, but it seems corporate America still believes it is 2016 -- and over a hundred thousand rail workers have been without a contract since 2017. British commuter rail unions seem ready to join. Technically, the current administration can pull a pro-corporate intervention the way Reagan did with PATCO, but it seems unlikely that even the current do-little administration would throw this many constituents under the bus, and Biden actually pledged to be a union-friendly President on his campaign.

If the July 18 deadline passes without resolution, then the national strike will most likely hit at the end of the month.

As yet another one of your sailing nerds with a 3-knot shitbox and a 55-knot landboard, I think this if fucking awesome. This is the first time in my life that I have seen regular workers finally get a leg up on their own futures. The new ambition for the Gen-Zers of the USA will be to get a union job. It's a good time to be alive and I bet that most of us sailing fuckers are going to support the rail workers.

This is pretty concerning. The Big Four (BNSF, UP, CSX, and NS) have just been itching to get rid of more employees and a strike could give them enough economic leverage to do so. They have been pitching single crew trains for some time now and furloughing everyone they can while claiming they can't find employees. A nation wide strike would be a good thing for the employees and check the ridiculous profits the companies are making by squeezing the supply chain, but this is probably going to completely fuck over the economy even more.
I'm with the employees, but this couldn't come at a worse time IMO.

 

[Lark]

This is pretty concerning. The Big Four (BNSF, UP, CSX, and NS) have just been itching to get rid of more employees and a strike could give them enough economic leverage to do so. They have been pitching single crew trains for some time now and furloughing everyone they can while claiming they can't find employees. A nation wide strike would be a good thing for the employees and check the ridiculous profits the companies are making by squeezing the supply chain, but this is probably going to completely fuck over the economy even more.
I'm with the employees, but this couldn't come at a worse time IMO.

They are already doing some amazing? freaky? stuff with driverless and remote trains in yards. Germany is using them on regular track for shunting, Britain is exploring it as well. It’s not just US railways, where featherbedding is a tradition. I’m unsure who to favor.

 

[βhyde]

They are already doing some amazing? freaky? stuff with driverless and remote trains in yards. Germany is using them on regular track for shunting, Britain is exploring it as well. It’s not just US railways, where featherbedding is a tradition. I’m unsure who to favor.

I think there are many situations where automation is appropriate. In many of the yards and industries near me, UP and BNSF operate remote controlled, single operator locomotives for switching tasks. That's not really a problem and they have been doing it for years. But having 1 person operate a 3-mile long 30,000ton train with mid and end train motive power over mountainous terrain or though heavily populated areas with hazardous loads is just asking for trouble.

I think this article sums it up nicely:

Corporate billionaires are wrecking the supply chain. Just look at the railroads.

Draconian labor policies, "cost-cutting" measures, and mass layoffs are decimating US railroad workers for the sake of corporate profits. And the effects are reverberating throughout the supply chain.

therealnews.com

 

[Autonomous]

I was a SMART and previously a UTU member. Those union leaders were the worst featherbeders in the whole RR equation.
The members have to be ready to draw blood for SMART to agree to strike.
We'll see.

 

[βhyde]

I was a SMART and previously a UTU member. Those union leaders were the worst featherbeders in the whole RR equation.
The members have to be ready to draw blood for SMART to agree to strike.
We'll see.

Seems like Ferguson is ready to do it, but Biden will probably step in and establish an FEB to buy some time. Remember when working for the railroad was a good job?

An open letter from the office of SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Earlier today, I advised our Rail General Chairpersons involved in national bargaining that the cooling-off period after our release by the NMB will be ending Monday, July 18, at 12:01 a.m., and if a Presidential Emergency Board is not appointed by then, there will be the opportunity to engage in self-help. A copy of that letter can be found here.

According to the governing provisions of the SMART Constitution, a strike action over a national contract dispute must first be approved by a two-thirds vote of the affected General Chairpersons. This method, which has been carefully written and democratically required by our delegates, provides a quick and effective way to obtain strike authority from our members. As noted in my letter, our General Committees have so far shown unanimous support for exercising our right to legally strike, if and when the opportunity presents itself. This result does not come as a surprise, given the railroads’ abysmal treatment of our members over the last 2+ years, and their ongoing refusal to make any move toward a contract that is even remotely worthy of your consideration in a ratification vote.

As noted in my letter to our General Chairpersons, this approval does not automatically constitute authorization to engage in a strike. Final authorization will come in a separate notice from this office, and will be widely distributed using every communication tool available to us. The earliest this office could issue that notice could be on or after 12:01 a.m. on Monday, July 18, 2022. However, if President Biden establishes a Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) prior to this date, which is generally expected under these circumstances, no strike authorization can be issued during the PEB process.

With that being said, preparation for the possibility of a strike is well under way. We will soon be distributing materials to all affected SMART-TD Locals, which will include explicit detailed instructions. We will also be electronically distributing picketing materials so our members may choose which signs they want to display. This method of distribution provides the added benefit of avoiding any potential delays that might result from mass printing and mailing these materials from a central location.

Your national negotiating team is more determined than ever to obtain a contract that provides the fair compensation, meaningful improvements in quality of life, and better healthcare that we rightfully expect and deserve. To the carriers and their media pundits who are trying to cast us in a negative light: Your bogus rhetoric might resonate with the hedge fund managers, Wall Street investors, and billionaire cronies you cater to, but the hard-working people who earn you your all-time record-breaking profits aren’t buying it. Make no mistake, we are prepared and willing to exercise every legal option available under the Railway Labor Act to achieve our goals.

 

[mikewof]

Seems like Ferguson is ready to do it, but Biden will probably step in and establish an FEB to buy some time. Remember when working for the railroad was a good job?

The need is there; a third of all freight in the USA is moved by rail, and heavy freight even more so. It should be a good job. As you noted, the need for safety should require a full crew, regardless ownership's desire to automate their way into a major disaster. And the industry solved so many of the employee safety issues that deviled the industry back when rail workers lost limb and life. It's now a safe industry for the workers, and safe for the towns through which they move those hazardous loads.

But this is a case where I would like to see the public oversight rein in these owners. They're getting a huge chunk of Biden's $1.2 trillion infrastructure dough, and they operate in the public space, like airlines. That over a hundred thousand rail workers have worked without contract for years shows that the unions have been far more committed to the public good than the owners.

 

[Autonomous]

Quality of life is a huge issue. The availability policies are brutal, employees are suffering.

 

[Lark]

Quality of life is a huge issue. The availability policies are brutal. The employees are suffering.

A person who hasn’t had the phone rule and interrupt every aspect of their life for years can never understand the huge toll It takes on everything from relaxing at dinner, cooking dinner, enjoying a family movie night or intimate moments. Having to go back to work at random times but having some warning and sort of choosing the times is psychologically very different, you still feel in control of your life.

 

[giegs]

There's also the issue of having your job be a popular way for folks to kill themselves. A few years ago the BNSF line through town stopped running the horn as they went through the slow section to address noise complaints. It's quieter, but now any time you hear it you know something shitty is going on.

Workbook: Trespass and Suicide Dashboard

explore.dot.gov

 

[mikewof]

There's also the issue of having your job be a popular way for folks to kill themselves. A few years ago the BNSF line through town stopped running the horn as they went through the slow section to address noise complaints. It's quieter, but now any time you hear it you know something shitty is going on.

Workbook: Trespass and Suicide Dashboard

explore.dot.gov

I noticed that, but I didn't know the reason until you mentioned it. Back in the day, hearing the train horn like clockwork, it was kind of reassuring; everything was going down as it was supposed to. Then a bunch of suburban Millennials moved to the areas that have train crossings, complained when the horns interrupted their Most Holy and Honored Peace, and now the train horns seem to mean a whole different thing.

I noticed from your link, they call it "trespass fatalities." Any idea what percentage of those are people who hop the rail cars versus run the tracks? But at least for the rail workers themselves, it's now one of the safest jobs.

 

[giegs]

I noticed that, but I didn't know the reason until you mentioned it. Back in the day, hearing the train horn like clockwork, it was kind of reassuring; everything was going down as it was supposed to. Then a bunch of suburban Millennials moved to the areas that have train crossings, complained when the horns interrupted their Most Holy and Honored Peace, and now the train horns seem to mean a whole different thing.

I noticed from your link, they call it "trespass fatalities." Any idea what percentage of those are people who hop the rail cars versus run the tracks? But at least for the rail workers themselves, it's now one of the safest jobs.

On the "Trespass Details" tab of the workbook there's a section for "physical act before collision" that looks like it breaks things out. The whole data set is there for download and would probably be easier to sift through that way. Looks like maybe 4-5% are from train hopping.

 

[Autonomous]

There's also the issue of having your job be a popular way for folks to kill themselves. A few years ago the BNSF line through town stopped running the horn as they went through the slow section to address noise complaints. It's quieter, but now any time you hear it you know something shitty is going on.

Workbook: Trespass and Suicide Dashboard

explore.dot.gov

In the carriers defense, quiet zones aren't willy nilley, they are well thought out and very expensive to implement. A win for the communities involved.
Arguments otherwise are pretty much bullshit.

 

[Dex Sawash]

Any ideas what labor hours per ton/mile (or however it would be measured) are like for various transport methods? Seems rail salaries could be astronomical without having a signficant impact on bottom line. But what do I know, been in same job with no benefits for 35 years and 1 month.

 

[spankoka]

Yeah, I don't understand it. The Lac-Megantic disaster was caused by one overtired guy who neglected to set enough brakes. I would think labour would be the cheap part about running a train.

 

[Autonomous]

It was more complicated than that. The RR also had a poor safety program and corner cutting was common
The fire department that shut down the engine contributed but weren't technically responsible.

 

[mikewof]

On the "Trespass Details" tab of the workbook there's a section for "physical act before collision" that looks like it breaks things out. The whole data set is there for download and would probably be easier to sift through that way. Looks like maybe 4-5% are from train hopping.

5% is much lower than I would have guessed. I assume the other 95-some percent are people who either deliberately or accidentally ended up in a crossing?

The way the crossings are doled out by the city managements over the rail right-of-ways is remarkably racist, I think the rail companies should have some say in the matter, given that the city manager/council racism reflects poorly on the railroad. But I've noticed that the wealthier neighborhoods with Caucasian folk, those seem more likely have to the (expensive) automatic crossing guards. While the poorer neighborhoods with Black folk, those seem more likely to have only the (less expensive) crossing lights or nothing at all. I was in a neighborhood once in Alabama that had lights but no crossing guards, and in a rainstorm I couldn't hear the train horn, and only saw the flashing lights once I was nearly on top of them. Even without the suicides, it's easy to see how these grade-crossings can be dangerous when there is little or no safety. Out in the plains, there are often grade crossings without even lights, let alone guards.

 

[mikewof]

Yeah, I don't understand it. The Lac-Megantic disaster was caused by one overtired guy who neglected to set enough brakes. I would think labour would be the cheap part about running a train.

You would think, the owners have clearly demonstrated themselves to be a bunch of dimwits ...

1. A full-sized cargo plane which moves about a container-load have about three cockpit crew and often a flight attendant to keep an eye out for fire risk and manage cargo shifts -- Ratio 3/1 = 3
2. A semi-trailer which moved a container-load has one driver. -- Ratio 1/1 = 1
3. A full train with some 100 container cars has a crew of 2 -- 2/100 = 0.02
4. A 10,000-some container ship has a crew of about 25. -- 25/10,000 = 0.0025

Unlike the container ship, the train is clearly not "outside of the environment" it moves through sensitive areas sometimes jammed with people and property just like the trucks and planes. Even when the train is on the local runs with an extra crew, that's still a miserable and unsafe ratio. Rather than look at the miracle safety records of these skeleton crews, the train companies instead want to save a few cents by cutting even more jobs? Something truly horrible is bound to happen if this continues. The idea that a 5000-some ton train can be run by a robot with the brain of a solar calculator is just as stupid.

 

[Lark]

The need is there; a third of all freight in the USA is moved by rail, and heavy freight even more so. It should be a good job. As you noted, the need for safety should require a full crew, regardless ownership's desire to automate their way into a major disaster. And the industry solved so many of the employee safety issues that deviled the industry back when rail workers lost limb and life. It's now a safe industry for the workers, and safe for the towns through which they move those hazardous loads.

But this is a case where I would like to see the public oversight rein in these owners. They're getting a huge chunk of Biden's $1.2 trillion infrastructure dough, and they operate in the public space, like airlines. That over a hundred thousand rail workers have worked without contract for years shows that the unions have been far more committed to the public good than the owners.

Can you detail rail spending? I understood it was for Amtrak, including repairs from Hurricane Sandy all those years ago, and rail safety, Safety spending is car spending, either crossings or corridors that move rail away from populated cities and stop them from blocking emergency vehicles and causing traffic jams on roads. Since the RR company was there first. It’s only fair they get compensated.