House passes measure to avert railroad strike

Barrons/Marketwatch ^ | 11/30/2022 | Liz Moyer, Janet H. Cho

[SaxxonWoods]

The House on Wednesday passed a measure that would avert a national railroad strike by forcing the adoption of a tentative labor agreement.

The vote was 290 to 137.

House members also voted 221-207 to approve a separate proposal to provide railroad workers with seven days of paid sick leave, with Democrats in favor and nearly all Republicans opposed. Both measures now go to the Senate.

A 1926 law gave Congress the power to intervene in railroad disputes that threaten to disrupt the economy. President Joe Biden on Monday called on Congress to step in–despite his usual pro-labor, pro-union stance–saying, “a rail shutdown would devastate our economy,” including putting as many as 765,000 Americans out of work within the first two weeks.

A national rail strike would idle 30% of the nation’s freight and could potentially cost $2 billion a day.

[mewzilla]

And for anyone else curious...

https://www.napa-net.org/news-info/daily-news/case-week-railroad-retirement-benefits

Still wondering if pension benefits are part of this deal, too...

[GrumpyOldGuy]

They should give congress the finger. This “law” is BS and is to be ignored if presented as a “justification” for them to comply.

[mewzilla]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/11/30/rail-strike-union-demands-congress/

Average pay will get upped to $110,000/year.

Well, that’ll affect pensions, won’t it...

[unclebankster]

Here are some more statistics.

railroad employee tenure

0-1 years 38%
1-2 years 22%
3-4 years 11%
5-7 years 13%
8-10 years 5%
11+ years 11%

This tells me railroad management likes to burn through people.

“Go on strike” “Hell no”

I would find a better employer and ‘hit the bricks.’

[cableguymn]

I was in the IBEW for about a year. That was long enough. Yeah most of the working guys were pretty decent but the union BS well.. I ain’t paying for that crap. I did much better on my own without them. I did low voltage. Computer networks alarm systems CCTV telephone that sort of thing.

[EEGator]

If I did electrician work, I would be independent.
I am an electrical distribution designer, and have been union and non union.
I don’t need a union. I’m hourly with 1.5 OT pay, good benefits.
The amount of work we have is staggering and not slowing down at all.
We are also undermanned and old age heavy.
I try to tell any decent young guys to follow.

[unclebankster]

I want them to strike or just find other employment, just to see how management, congress, executive, etc handle it.

Let the work from home crowd move freight around, they seem to have the time to be experts about everybody else’s professions.

[unclebankster]

“I try to tell any decent young guys to follow.”

I wish I was about 25 instead of 51.

Young motivated males that want to work & prosper, have great opportunity to make a killing over the next 20 years.

[EEGator]

That they do.

I’m 47.

[AnthonySoprano]

.
Good points, but $100,000 is a Gift Card for Hunter Biden (and they got them from the Chinese).

That covers a luxe week of Rehab for a Hunter and Drug and Sex Addict Ashley Biden.

Maybe nice if one paid Politician in the entire country could make that point in public.

[traditional2]

Once again, without ANY Court that would buck the Global Elite's wishes, we have the American Taxpayers FORCED to pay for Union Benefits that are directly benefiting Democrat-supporting slugs.

There is NO WAY taxpayers should EVER subsidize Union Contracts......including those of "Government Employees", who produce NOTHING.

[Gnome1949]

I don’t think this emergency law can be enforced against those who refuse to go to work. Will they put them all in federal prison?

[Gene Eric]

30% of the nation’s freight shouldn’t be tied to federal funding

[Ann Archy]

BINGO!!!

[mad_as_he$$]

“I have a picture of a former coworkers...”

Alcoa?

[joma89]

Unions initially were a good idea. Workers banded together to get better pay and benefits. But like all orgs, leftists took them over and used them as donation machines to the democrat party.

And so, all unions, like so many corporations now, must be disbanded.

[USCG SimTech]

I wonder how many sick days people have saved up?...

The point is they must give 30 days advance notice that they are going to be sick. No waking up puking or with a heart attack and rushing to the ER. Muffet and the other railroad owners are too cheap to hire enough people to cover anyone getting sick.

[COBOL2Java]

Like to see how they are going to enforce it.

I'm sure the DOJ head will have no problems sending his goons to crack the heads of those strikers.

"We've got plenty of clubs - and pistols!"

[BlackbirdSST]

Your first mistake might be your last mistake.

The ultimate zot!

[Ex-Con777]

Seven paid sick days will only make the problem worse.

A very close family friend works at a rail yard. The shifts are scheduled for 12 hours. I say scheduled because he is usually forced to stay later. Imagine the night shift from 7pm to 7am getting extended to 10am.

Then after 4 scheduled days off...I say scheduled because he is usually forced to come in and work at least one of those days on the day shift or night shift....he shifts to the day schedule and the cycle repeats.

No wonder the old guys retire early and the young guys quit after a few months.

Paid sick time, which I support, will only force more mandatory overtime. It doesn’t sound like a fun job, though he does get to drive the choo-choo train.

EC