Passenger Trains > Congress, the Prez, and the strike

my effort, for what it's worth.

I'm using a mass letter writing campaign system to try to get the message to Congress that forcing the TA is a Bad Thing.

This is the link to send letters to your Congresscritters and The Prez. You can use my words or write your own or both. It's easy to do. A few clicks does the trick.

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/railroad-workers-need-your-help?source=direct_link&

Pass the link along to anyone and everyone. They aren't goig to write legislation over night, so maybe we have half a chance.

The short letter the link sends is linked to this, explaining in more detail:

https://climaterailalliance.org/potential-nationwide-railroad-strike-december-2022/

TAW

That Climate Alliance piece is well written!

Thank you TAW for the support. You came from the craft and understand what is going on.

Posted from Android

Agree with TAW 100%

In the areas I'm familiar with, a significant percentage of the operating crews are eligible to retire. Numerous folks I've emailed with are saying if this rejected contract gets forced on them, it will be the final straw. They will work one final trip so they don't get in trouble legally by refusing the order to return to work and pull the pin. Even if say 40% are eligible to retire and half of them go over the next few months that is a loss of 20% of the entire roster which none of the carriers can afford. Especially when coupled with a remaining workforce that is completely demoralized and doing as little as possible.
Ordering them back to work is just plain penny wise and pound foolish

Posted from Android

Senator Sanders is pushing to have reasonable sick leave added to any settlement Congress dictates, which certainly seems to be within Congress' power to do.  Hope he's successful. 

Dave

Senator Elizabeth Warren would no doubt follow Senator Sanders. 

DavidP Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Senator Sanders is pushing to have reasonable sick
> leave added to any settlement Congress dictates,
> which certainly seems to be within Congress' power
> to do.  Hope he's successful. 
>
> Dave

Would be all for it but I suspect there aren't sufficient GOP votes in the Senate.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/30/politics/biden-buck-labor-allies-rail-strike/index.html

Any surprise in how this is playing out shows real ignorance by craft brothers.. Sorry.

lordsigma Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> DavidP Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Senator Sanders is pushing to have reasonable
> sick
> > leave added to any settlement Congress
> dictates,
> > which certainly seems to be within Congress'
> power
> > to do.  Hope he's successful. 
> >
> > Dave
>
> Would be all for it but I suspect there aren't
> sufficient GOP votes in the Senate.

There is a lot of bipartisan support for his amendment.  I don't like, however, that Pelosi has stated that they'll vote on the resolution to force the TA through BEFORE they vote on the amendment to add the paid sick days.

That being said, I don't think a letter-writing campaign will help in this particular matter at this particular time unfortunately.  What we need to do is a letter-writing campaign that asks for meaningful change to the Railway Labor Act which actively discourages railroads from bargaining in bad faith.  Something to provide for monetary incentives (ie: Fines) to railroads for allowing their workers to work without a contract for instance.  Or fines when a union has voted to strike but is disallowed from doing so by the courts or government.  Fines equal to the amount of damage a strike would be causing the company in leiu of actual strikes until a settlement is reached.

We need a letter-writing campaing to ask for meaningful change to HOS laws, laws to dictate that employees get more reliable calls, and more time at home.

Those things will never be changed by union contracts, but can be changed by the governmnet to make employees' jobs better.

Done. Thanks TAW. I occasionaly disagree with you on other issues but I stand with you on this one.

I wouldn't worry.  The politicians that receive support from the railroad unions, and those politicians
who the unions ask you support certainly will not turn their backs on you.

That being said, I remember when I was a small lad and the unions were threatening to strike.
My dad was a rail and had four young mouths to feed.  Over the dinner table (sounds like a
Lunch Bucket Joe tale) my mom worriedly asked Dad whether there was going to be a strike
which would stop the paycheck.  My dad said something to the effect that "They will never
let the railroad man strike. LBJ will call some crooked Federal Judge in the middle of the 
night, the judge will s**t his pants, and then sign what ever injunction LBJ tells him to".

Within the past hour, the House passed HJR 100 that imposed the Tentative Agreement by a vote of 290-137, and a few minutes later HJR 119 that amended the previous bill by adding 7 days of paid sick leave. The vote on the latter was 221-207.

Paul Wilson
Arlington, VA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/22 11:03 by Dcmcrider.

Dcmcrider Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Within the past hour, the House passed HJR 100
> that imposed the Tentative Agreement by a vote of
> 290-137, and a few minutes later HJR 119 that
> amended the previous bill by adding 7 days of paid
> sick leave. The vote on the latter was 221-207.

If that vote were to take place on Jan 3 or after, that 221-207 would have been 207-221 against. 

OTG Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We need a letter-writing campaing to ask for
> meaningful change to HOS laws, laws to dictate
> that employees get more reliable calls, and more
> time at home.
>
>

On my list as well as promoting open access and breaking up the monopolies.

TAW