railworkers respond to congress

We suffered a one-two punch at the hands of, first the Democratic Party; the second served up by the Republicans.

Railroad Workers United on Congress and the White House intervening in contract negotiations, essentially making a labor strike illegal.

Why It Matters: Congress passed legislation to force the rail workers and railways to accept a previously negotiated labor contract in order to avoid a strike. The rail system produces an estimated $2 billion in economic activity everyday.

The President on Thursday before signing the legislation: “The bill I’m about to sign ends a difficult rail dispute and helps our nation avoid what without a doubt would have been an economic catastrophe at a very bad time in the calendar.” The President continued on Friday: “Our nation’s rail is literally the backbone of our supply chain. So much of what we rely on is delivered on rail, from clean water to food and gas and every other good. A rail shut down would have devastated our economy. Without freight rail, many of our industries would have literally shut down.”

A group of “railroad workers, family members and retirees from throughout North America“ represented by Railroad Workers United: “RWU believes that railroad workers need to explore options other than the existing two political parties since neither appears to have our backs. RWU also believes that railroad workers need to consider doing away with the archaic and divided craft union system that hampers our unity and solidarity, and initiate the process of building a single and powerful railroad workers union that can win in future rounds of contract bargaining.”

Good Overview from CNBC: Biden signs bill averting rail worker strike despite lack of paid sick days