I’m not a fan of unions.
That said, due to the nature of my job I speak to a number of railroad workers.
It began with Covid. The railroads dumped a bunch of their employees, especially the senior ones, to save money. But when things picked up again, they didn’t have enough employees. Now the railroads are trying to figure out how to run those miles long cars with TWO employees on board.
But this is why they are calling it a “quality of life” issue. The employees are fed up with their days off being routinely cancelled. Even when putting in for their PTO days and after being approved, they are expected to still come into work if needed. There is a story bouncing around online that I can’t verify, that a fellow was not able to attend his own wife’s funeral due to these practices.
I used to work for a company where I had a ‘Beeper’ on me 24/7, and had to come in to work, 30 miles away, at a moments notice if something broke down.
After a couple of calls on ‘my day off’ or ‘in the middle of the night’ I quit..............
For now… Another RR argument is that the new PTC (Positive train control) technology will allow for elimination of one of those two workers. Sounds good but the multitude of tasks required in the cab (communications, paperwork, engine speed, etc. not including watching the track ahead for obstacles or pedestrians) makes the need for two in the cab a safety requirement. For now current Federal regulations agree, but there are exceptions that the companies are trying to exploit, if not now but at the time of the NEXT contract.
The stories I hear are similar. The RRs are trying to hire more employees but after learning that they have to give up any semblance of a normal or family life, they leave the class. Maybe one in twenty will make it through and then there is a six-month on-the-job training. Also, many senior employees with 15 years or more time on the job are quitting because of the recent RR rules. They realize that health and family trump the pay.