Posted on 11/23/2022 6:56:32 AM PST by george76
It looks like the trains may stop running on time for Christmas.
On Monday, the SMART Transportation Division (SMART-TD), the largest railroad union in the country, narrowly voted down a contract offered by the White House. That means the possibility of a strike just in time for the holiday season.
The SMART Transportation Division, or SMART-TD, which represents about 28,000 conductors, rejected the contract in a vote that garnered record turnout, the union said Monday. The contract was nixed by a slim margin, as just 50.8% of workers voted against it.
The second-largest rail union, made up of engineers, voted in favor of the contract on Monday, splitting the top rail unions, which represent roughly half of the industry’s workers.
This is significant because back in September, Biden proudly announced his administration had reached an agreement with railroad unions to avoid a strike. However, at the time, unions did not confirm the agreement, leading to speculation that the only agreement Biden reached was for everyone to be quiet until midterm elections were over.
...
There are eleven railroad unions. The White House contract can only be ratified if all eleven unions agree. So far only four of the unions have done so. Unless SMART-TD can negotiate a deal they feel comfortable with, a strike seems inevitable. All eleven unions have agreed they won’t cross picket lines should a strike be called.
A railroad strike during the busiest season of the year could spell disaster for an already struggling economy. It could also create an even more serious drag on the supply chain. Americans ship trillions of tonnes of products by train every year. In 2020, America’s freight trains shipped over 2.1 trillion tonne-kilometers (one tonne of goods per one kilometer) across the country.
Don’t worry. SolJoe will nationalize the rail roads. It will fix everything./s
I heard a 20+ year railroad worker talking about this on the radio yesterday.
It’s clear that this is less about the workers than the unions themselves.
So, once again, there is ONLY one direction to point the finger:
LEFT
Xiden / Xero / Xarris et al own this.
Kicking the can down the road increased the unions’ leverage. The increased cost due to the delay was worth it for the turnip in the White House. Who couldn’t see this coming from miles away.
Oh thanks...Happy Days are Here Again!
Obama: never underestimate Joe’s ability to F things up.
> The contract was nixed by a slim margin, as just 50.8% of workers voted against it. <
I see the problem. Dumb old Joe Biden should have hired Dominion to count the votes.
Is he suggesting that the unions negotiated a deal that they knew the workers would reject?
Under U.S. railroad law, Congress can vote to impose a settlement on the unions.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that in the event of a strike, the lame duck Congress will do exactly that.
Coming during the Christmas break for Congress, this vote in Congress to force a settlement may not be as quick as we think.
Yes now the can join the Amtrak team they haven’t made a profit since the 70’s the feds keep them alive.
Paging Santa Fe
I didn’t know there was a special situation with railroads. Thanks for the knowledge. But still, unions being unions, can they all get sick or slow-roll shipments?
Dang, this right after we ran out of diesel...
the turnip in the White House
************
LOL! Good one.
Warren Buffett doesn't buy politicians just to see them stand down at a time like this.
Sick time is a major issue of contention in this negotiation. The unions don't have much (if any) of it.
Railroads run on tight schedules. Any attempt to slow-roll shipments will be dealt with severely under the threat of Federal action. The unions could run the risk of having themselves decertified.
When I worked for UPRR as a programmer, all managers had to pitch in and run the trains. Believe me, the RRs will be operation in but on a reduced schedule.
Alberta's Child :" The strike date is December 9th. Congress is in session until the 15th.
Warren Buffett doesn't buy politicians just to see them stand down at a time like this."
" On Monday, the SMART Transportation Division (SMART-TD), the largest railroad union in the country, narrowly voted down a contract offered by the White House.
That means the possibility of a strike just in time for the holiday season.
"The SMART Transportation Division, or SMART-TD, which represents about 28,000 conductors, rejected the contract in a vote that garnered record turnout, the union said Monday.
The contract was nixed by a slim margin, as just 50.8% of workers voted against it.
The second-largest rail union, made up of engineers, voted in favor of the contract on Monday, splitting the top rail unions,
which represent roughly half of the industry’s workers."
" There are eleven railroad unions. The White House contract can only be ratified if all eleven unions agree.
So far only four of the unions have done so.
Unless SMART-TD can negotiate a deal they feel comfortable with, a strike seems inevitable.
All eleven unions have agreed they won’t cross picket lines should a strike be called. "
Conservative sites have been yapping about this “looming” strike for about two years now. I’m not sure the unions are serious about it or have the nads to do it.
Actually striking would be so crippling that the public and political reaction might be so forceful as to break the unions.
I don’t see how they avoid the RLA being used and if they get pissy with Congress, they run a real risk of Congress getting pissy right back. And Slow Joe is a spiteful little man.
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