No, forcing an unpopular contract on the workers is a sellout to the wealthy railroad bosses and the Chamber of Commerce.


"In the foreground of the dispute is the issue of paid sick time. More than one hundred thousand workers employed at America's railways do not currently receive paid sick days and face strict and punitive attendance policies that leave many with no weekends and little time off. At the Warren Buffett - owned BNSF, for example, workers are allotted a point balance that diminishes if they're unavailable for work - even in cases of illness or emergency. Those who reach a balance of zero can incur a ten- or twenty-day suspension, with a subsequent zero balance resulting in termination.

These are degrading terms of work no reasonable person would accept as fair. As engineer Ross Grooters put it to Mother Jones in September, workers are essentially "fighting for the basic right to be able to be people outside of the railroad." Michael Baldwin, president of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen - one of four unions that rejected the deal now likely to be imposed - explained that the problem has been long-standing but, for obvious reasons, has been of particular concern to workers over the past two years: "This became a glaring issue during the pandemic when we had members who were forced by their employers, the railroads, to stay home and quarantine without pay. But really it comes down to simple things like the flu for a day or two, or a sick child, and the ability to take a day or two paid."

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"Hey, where's Cricket?" - Kristi Noem's daughter.

Edited: 11/30/2022 at 06:55 AM by RustyTruck

Where can I see the congressional legislation?



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I was right.

Not yet created, but Biden has released the following statement that his intention is to force the workers to accept the contract they voted against because it doesn't address the problem with time off.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/brie...ting-a-rail-shutdown/

"I am calling on Congress to pass legislation immediately to adopt the Tentative Agreement between railroad workers and operators - without any modifications or delay - to avert a potentially crippling national rail shutdown."

"...As a proud pro-labor President, I am reluctant to override the ratification procedures and the views of those who voted against the agreement. But in this case - where the economic impact of a shutdown would hurt millions of other working people and families - I believe Congress must use its powers to adopt this deal."




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"Hey, where's Cricket?" - Kristi Noem's daughter.