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In other union news: impending rail workers strike would cost the economy $2 billion per day....

Doesn’t give answers to your questions, but they aren’t struggling as individuals being paid.


We certainly aren't. I've pointed this out in the past and was called everything from a "bootlicker" to a "turncoat." I make great money. We all do. And to be honest, had my union actually told us what they were going to ask for in the current round of bargaining, which has led to the mess we're in now, plenty of us would have seen this coming and asked them to back off a bit in their demands. Of course, the union never asks what WE want them to do. Not ever. That so many people think large unions actually operate under a grassroots system where the tiny voices of the workers are heard...laughable. And that's some truth for you all. Now tell me how wrong and stupid I am. 😂
 
According to the industry report, the average U.S. Class I freight rail employee earned wages of $95,700 and fringe benefits of $40,000 in 2020, for total compensation of $135,700.

You don't think they're paid fairly already???

you could take a pay cut and work the rails…
 
On the heels of the latest round of labor negotiations between the National Mediation Board, unions, and freight railroads, the Association of American Railroads has released a report projecting that the economic impact of a nationwide railroad strike could be more than $2 billion a day.

So far, five of the 12 unions, representing 21,000 employees, have reached voluntary agreements with the railroads. The expiration of the 30-day cooling-off period when unions can walk off the job is midnight on September 16. There are just under 115,000 Class I railroad employees in the U.S., according to August data.

If a strike happens, the report from the AAR’s policy and economics team — which uses historical data from the Federal Railroad Administration — states that the 140,000-mile network of rails across 49 states and 7,000 Class I trains would be idled, and the impact would cripple both the movement of trade and commuters.

There are not enough trucks or truck drivers to move the rail bound containers, according to the report, with an additional 467,000 long-haul trucks per day needed to handle the freight.

Logistics CEOs tell CNBC the impact of a nationwide rail strike would impact the economy far more than a port strike on the West Coast.

“Depending on the length of any service interruption, the overall impact would double each day the interruption continued,” said Alan Baer, CEO of OL-USA. “As we experienced with the ports, delays mounted quickly and it is now taking weeks to unwind. Domestic trucking rates would surge as capacity disappears. Overall a nightmare scenario.”

Wage increases the railroads are offering

The details of the deal were recommended by the Presidential Advisory Board appointed by President Joe Biden in July to avert a strike. They are non-binding, but if implemented, would see employees receive a 14.1% wage increase effective immediately, and a 24% compounded wage increase during the five-year period from 2020 through 2024. Service recognition bonuses would also be given to employees over the duration of the contract and would total $5,000. Combining the lump sum payments and the retroactive wage increases, employees would receive an average immediate payout totaling more than $11,000.

The average pay of a rail employee if the deal is ratified would be approximately $110,000 per year by the end of the agreement. Combined with benefits like retirement, and health care, employees would earn $160,000 a year. If agreed upon, industry insiders tell CNBC the general wage increases will be the most substantial in at least 40 years of rail labor negotiations. According to the industry report, the average U.S. Class I freight rail employee earned wages of $95,700 and fringe benefits of $40,000 in 2020, for total compensation of $135,700.

Terms of the deal have to be agreed upon between the unions and railroads.

The National Carriers’ Conference Committee, which represents freight railroads, declined to comment to CNBC, citing the sensitivity of active negotiations. A spokesperson for the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO — a federation of 37 leading transportation worker unions in the U.S. — also cited the ongoing negotiations in declining to comment.

Some holdout unions have recently issued strong statements about their position. The leaders of the BLET and Smart-TD unions said in a Labor Day statement that they had been “carved out” from the rest of rail labor as “we were the only Unions that the Carriers insisted upon work rule changes from throughout the PEB hearing.”

“It has become clear in our post Presidential Emergency Board (“PEB”) negotiations with the Rail Carriers that they are counting on the Federal Government to come to their aid if we are unable to reach a Tentative Agreement, and so far, we have not reached an Agreement,” BLET President Dennis Pierce and SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson stated. ”The same rail carriers that complain about government intervention when the Federal Railroad Administration proposes a rulemaking on crew size, and also shudder at the thought of the Surface Transportation Board issuing regulations that would help shippers, now all but hide behind Congress, refusing so far to negotiate terms our members would accept and ratify.”

In a statement, AAR President and CEO Ian Jefferies said, “As the freight sector heads into peak shipping season, a nationwide rail work stoppage would result in an unnecessary $2 billion daily economic hit. President Biden’s PEB recommended terms that would maintain the highest quality health care coverage and result in compounded wage increases of 24%, bonuses totaling $5,000 — the highest pay increases in nearly 50 years.”

“Like those unions that have already tentatively agreed to the PEB deal, each of the remaining unions can still enter into agreements based on these recommendations. However, should negotiations fail and result in a work stoppage, Congress must act to implement the PEB recommendations — rewarding employees and stopping unnecessary economic harm and uncertainty for rail customers.”

Industries call on Congress to intervene

Several major industries including the Fertilizer Institute and Retail Industry Leaders Association have sent letters to Congress urging intervention.

“Over half of all fertilizer moves by rail year-round throughout the United States and the timeliness and reliability of fertilizer shipments is absolutely critical,” TFI said in its letter. “If farmers do not receive fertilizer, it results in lower crop yields, higher food prices, and more inflation for consumers.”

RILA members, which account for more than $1.5 trillion in annual retail sales, wrote, “Failure to reach a reasonable agreement could result in significant disruptions to the rail network, the retail industry, and ultimately the American consumer.”

According to the AAR report, the industries heavily relying on rail to move their products include e-commerce, agriculture, chemical, automotive, construction, and coal.

“UPS, for example, may be the single largest rail customer,” the report stated. “A single intermodal container or trailer railroads carry for UPS could contain 1,800 to 2,000 packages. A train with 100 containers or trailers could have 200,000 UPS packages headed for our doorsteps.”

The report noted the U.S. supply chain would also be disrupted by raw materials delays, such as lumber from Canada used for home building and construction, to autos and auto parts.

Commuters, Amtrak impact

Amtrak would also be significantly impacted, according to the AAR report, because the passenger railroad service owns a very small fraction of its rail system, with the remaining 97% running on tracks owned and maintained by freight railroads. In addition to the rails itself, the freight railroads also offer services to Amtrak ranging from station maintenance, train dispatching, and emergency repairs to security.

Both the union and railroad negotiators will meet again with the National Mediation Board on Thursday and Friday. The negotiations between the 12 railroad worker unions and the National Carriers’ Conference Committee have been going on for years.

So, is it a union issue?
Or a you hate unions issue?
Never mind. It is the second.
 
How is it that the Rs can so consistency take the side against the workers?
It's what makes Republicans Republicans along with white nationalism and nonstop culture war propaganda. What is truly dumbfounding is how so many working people think they actually give a shit about them when R's really despise them when they aren't using them as political pawns
 
It's what makes Republicans Republicans along with white nationalism and nonstop culture war propaganda. What is truly dumbfounding is how so many working people think they actually give a shit about them when R's really despise them when they aren't using them as political pawns

Hot take.
 
On the heels of the latest round of labor negotiations between the National Mediation Board, unions, and freight railroads, the Association of American Railroads has released a report projecting that the economic impact of a nationwide railroad strike could be more than $2 billion a day.

So far, five of the 12 unions, representing 21,000 employees, have reached voluntary agreements with the railroads. The expiration of the 30-day cooling-off period when unions can walk off the job is midnight on September 16. There are just under 115,000 Class I railroad employees in the U.S., according to August data.

If a strike happens, the report from the AAR’s policy and economics team — which uses historical data from the Federal Railroad Administration — states that the 140,000-mile network of rails across 49 states and 7,000 Class I trains would be idled, and the impact would cripple both the movement of trade and commuters.

There are not enough trucks or truck drivers to move the rail bound containers, according to the report, with an additional 467,000 long-haul trucks per day needed to handle the freight.

Logistics CEOs tell CNBC the impact of a nationwide rail strike would impact the economy far more than a port strike on the West Coast.

“Depending on the length of any service interruption, the overall impact would double each day the interruption continued,” said Alan Baer, CEO of OL-USA. “As we experienced with the ports, delays mounted quickly and it is now taking weeks to unwind. Domestic trucking rates would surge as capacity disappears. Overall a nightmare scenario.”

Wage increases the railroads are offering

The details of the deal were recommended by the Presidential Advisory Board appointed by President Joe Biden in July to avert a strike. They are non-binding, but if implemented, would see employees receive a 14.1% wage increase effective immediately, and a 24% compounded wage increase during the five-year period from 2020 through 2024. Service recognition bonuses would also be given to employees over the duration of the contract and would total $5,000. Combining the lump sum payments and the retroactive wage increases, employees would receive an average immediate payout totaling more than $11,000.

The average pay of a rail employee if the deal is ratified would be approximately $110,000 per year by the end of the agreement. Combined with benefits like retirement, and health care, employees would earn $160,000 a year. If agreed upon, industry insiders tell CNBC the general wage increases will be the most substantial in at least 40 years of rail labor negotiations. According to the industry report, the average U.S. Class I freight rail employee earned wages of $95,700 and fringe benefits of $40,000 in 2020, for total compensation of $135,700.

Terms of the deal have to be agreed upon between the unions and railroads.

The National Carriers’ Conference Committee, which represents freight railroads, declined to comment to CNBC, citing the sensitivity of active negotiations. A spokesperson for the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO — a federation of 37 leading transportation worker unions in the U.S. — also cited the ongoing negotiations in declining to comment.

Some holdout unions have recently issued strong statements about their position. The leaders of the BLET and Smart-TD unions said in a Labor Day statement that they had been “carved out” from the rest of rail labor as “we were the only Unions that the Carriers insisted upon work rule changes from throughout the PEB hearing.”

“It has become clear in our post Presidential Emergency Board (“PEB”) negotiations with the Rail Carriers that they are counting on the Federal Government to come to their aid if we are unable to reach a Tentative Agreement, and so far, we have not reached an Agreement,” BLET President Dennis Pierce and SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson stated. ”The same rail carriers that complain about government intervention when the Federal Railroad Administration proposes a rulemaking on crew size, and also shudder at the thought of the Surface Transportation Board issuing regulations that would help shippers, now all but hide behind Congress, refusing so far to negotiate terms our members would accept and ratify.”

In a statement, AAR President and CEO Ian Jefferies said, “As the freight sector heads into peak shipping season, a nationwide rail work stoppage would result in an unnecessary $2 billion daily economic hit. President Biden’s PEB recommended terms that would maintain the highest quality health care coverage and result in compounded wage increases of 24%, bonuses totaling $5,000 — the highest pay increases in nearly 50 years.”

“Like those unions that have already tentatively agreed to the PEB deal, each of the remaining unions can still enter into agreements based on these recommendations. However, should negotiations fail and result in a work stoppage, Congress must act to implement the PEB recommendations — rewarding employees and stopping unnecessary economic harm and uncertainty for rail customers.”

Industries call on Congress to intervene

Several major industries including the Fertilizer Institute and Retail Industry Leaders Association have sent letters to Congress urging intervention.

“Over half of all fertilizer moves by rail year-round throughout the United States and the timeliness and reliability of fertilizer shipments is absolutely critical,” TFI said in its letter. “If farmers do not receive fertilizer, it results in lower crop yields, higher food prices, and more inflation for consumers.”

RILA members, which account for more than $1.5 trillion in annual retail sales, wrote, “Failure to reach a reasonable agreement could result in significant disruptions to the rail network, the retail industry, and ultimately the American consumer.”

According to the AAR report, the industries heavily relying on rail to move their products include e-commerce, agriculture, chemical, automotive, construction, and coal.

“UPS, for example, may be the single largest rail customer,” the report stated. “A single intermodal container or trailer railroads carry for UPS could contain 1,800 to 2,000 packages. A train with 100 containers or trailers could have 200,000 UPS packages headed for our doorsteps.”

The report noted the U.S. supply chain would also be disrupted by raw materials delays, such as lumber from Canada used for home building and construction, to autos and auto parts.

Commuters, Amtrak impact

Amtrak would also be significantly impacted, according to the AAR report, because the passenger railroad service owns a very small fraction of its rail system, with the remaining 97% running on tracks owned and maintained by freight railroads. In addition to the rails itself, the freight railroads also offer services to Amtrak ranging from station maintenance, train dispatching, and emergency repairs to security.

Both the union and railroad negotiators will meet again with the National Mediation Board on Thursday and Friday. The negotiations between the 12 railroad worker unions and the National Carriers’ Conference Committee have been going on for years.

I thought under the Railway Labor Act there were provisions for multiple 90-day cooling off periods. Meaning, an incredible amount of time has to pass before they could possibly walk off the job. Have they actually reached that point? If so, pretty rare.
 
Yeah, I've never worked as a laborer. I've always been in management. :rolleyes:
So, why is every post you throw up anti worker? You are a sell out.
Piss off regarding wage or benefit increases.
You suck and smoke too much.
Your suck ass comments about unions and labor demands are just that… suck off bull skit.
You bend a knee to your corporate overlords. Don’t whine otherwise. They own you.
 
We certainly aren't. I've pointed this out in the past and was called everything from a "bootlicker" to a "turncoat." I make great money. We all do. And to be honest, had my union actually told us what they were going to ask for in the current round of bargaining, which has led to the mess we're in now, plenty of us would have seen this coming and asked them to back off a bit in their demands. Of course, the union never asks what WE want them to do. Not ever. That so many people think large unions actually operate under a grassroots system where the tiny voices of the workers are heard...laughable. And that's some truth for you all. Now tell me how wrong and stupid I am. 😂
At what point do they have you vote on a contract? Has that been done at all?
 
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So, why is every post you throw up anti worker? You are a sell out.
Piss off regarding wage or benefit increases.
You suck and smoke too much.
Your suck ass comments about unions and labor demands are just that… suck off bull skit.
You bend a knee to your corporate overlords. Don’t whine otherwise. They own you.

No, I progressed from being a worker to being a manager through hard work and going above and beyond expectations.

In the union shop, that's not encouraged.

As a matter of fact, if you're screwing up productivity standards, the union goons might "lean" on you to slow the fark down.
 
No, I progressed from being a worker to being a manager through hard work and going above and beyond expectations.

In the union shop, that's not encouraged.

As a matter of fact, if you're screwing up productivity standards, the union goons might "lean" on you to slow the fark down.
You never project care for others. Your whole on line persona is fudge others.
You care not for the common man/woman.
trad is the ultimate selfish persona.
 
On the heels of the latest round of labor negotiations between the National Mediation Board, unions, and freight railroads, the Association of American Railroads has released a report projecting that the economic impact of a nationwide railroad strike could be more than $2 billion a day.

So far, five of the 12 unions, representing 21,000 employees, have reached voluntary agreements with the railroads. The expiration of the 30-day cooling-off period when unions can walk off the job is midnight on September 16. There are just under 115,000 Class I railroad employees in the U.S., according to August data.

If a strike happens, the report from the AAR’s policy and economics team — which uses historical data from the Federal Railroad Administration — states that the 140,000-mile network of rails across 49 states and 7,000 Class I trains would be idled, and the impact would cripple both the movement of trade and commuters.

There are not enough trucks or truck drivers to move the rail bound containers, according to the report, with an additional 467,000 long-haul trucks per day needed to handle the freight.

Logistics CEOs tell CNBC the impact of a nationwide rail strike would impact the economy far more than a port strike on the West Coast.

“Depending on the length of any service interruption, the overall impact would double each day the interruption continued,” said Alan Baer, CEO of OL-USA. “As we experienced with the ports, delays mounted quickly and it is now taking weeks to unwind. Domestic trucking rates would surge as capacity disappears. Overall a nightmare scenario.”

Wage increases the railroads are offering

The details of the deal were recommended by the Presidential Advisory Board appointed by President Joe Biden in July to avert a strike. They are non-binding, but if implemented, would see employees receive a 14.1% wage increase effective immediately, and a 24% compounded wage increase during the five-year period from 2020 through 2024. Service recognition bonuses would also be given to employees over the duration of the contract and would total $5,000. Combining the lump sum payments and the retroactive wage increases, employees would receive an average immediate payout totaling more than $11,000.

The average pay of a rail employee if the deal is ratified would be approximately $110,000 per year by the end of the agreement. Combined with benefits like retirement, and health care, employees would earn $160,000 a year. If agreed upon, industry insiders tell CNBC the general wage increases will be the most substantial in at least 40 years of rail labor negotiations. According to the industry report, the average U.S. Class I freight rail employee earned wages of $95,700 and fringe benefits of $40,000 in 2020, for total compensation of $135,700.

Terms of the deal have to be agreed upon between the unions and railroads.

The National Carriers’ Conference Committee, which represents freight railroads, declined to comment to CNBC, citing the sensitivity of active negotiations. A spokesperson for the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO — a federation of 37 leading transportation worker unions in the U.S. — also cited the ongoing negotiations in declining to comment.

Some holdout unions have recently issued strong statements about their position. The leaders of the BLET and Smart-TD unions said in a Labor Day statement that they had been “carved out” from the rest of rail labor as “we were the only Unions that the Carriers insisted upon work rule changes from throughout the PEB hearing.”

“It has become clear in our post Presidential Emergency Board (“PEB”) negotiations with the Rail Carriers that they are counting on the Federal Government to come to their aid if we are unable to reach a Tentative Agreement, and so far, we have not reached an Agreement,” BLET President Dennis Pierce and SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson stated. ”The same rail carriers that complain about government intervention when the Federal Railroad Administration proposes a rulemaking on crew size, and also shudder at the thought of the Surface Transportation Board issuing regulations that would help shippers, now all but hide behind Congress, refusing so far to negotiate terms our members would accept and ratify.”

In a statement, AAR President and CEO Ian Jefferies said, “As the freight sector heads into peak shipping season, a nationwide rail work stoppage would result in an unnecessary $2 billion daily economic hit. President Biden’s PEB recommended terms that would maintain the highest quality health care coverage and result in compounded wage increases of 24%, bonuses totaling $5,000 — the highest pay increases in nearly 50 years.”

“Like those unions that have already tentatively agreed to the PEB deal, each of the remaining unions can still enter into agreements based on these recommendations. However, should negotiations fail and result in a work stoppage, Congress must act to implement the PEB recommendations — rewarding employees and stopping unnecessary economic harm and uncertainty for rail customers.”

Industries call on Congress to intervene

Several major industries including the Fertilizer Institute and Retail Industry Leaders Association have sent letters to Congress urging intervention.

“Over half of all fertilizer moves by rail year-round throughout the United States and the timeliness and reliability of fertilizer shipments is absolutely critical,” TFI said in its letter. “If farmers do not receive fertilizer, it results in lower crop yields, higher food prices, and more inflation for consumers.”

RILA members, which account for more than $1.5 trillion in annual retail sales, wrote, “Failure to reach a reasonable agreement could result in significant disruptions to the rail network, the retail industry, and ultimately the American consumer.”

According to the AAR report, the industries heavily relying on rail to move their products include e-commerce, agriculture, chemical, automotive, construction, and coal.

“UPS, for example, may be the single largest rail customer,” the report stated. “A single intermodal container or trailer railroads carry for UPS could contain 1,800 to 2,000 packages. A train with 100 containers or trailers could have 200,000 UPS packages headed for our doorsteps.”

The report noted the U.S. supply chain would also be disrupted by raw materials delays, such as lumber from Canada used for home building and construction, to autos and auto parts.

Commuters, Amtrak impact

Amtrak would also be significantly impacted, according to the AAR report, because the passenger railroad service owns a very small fraction of its rail system, with the remaining 97% running on tracks owned and maintained by freight railroads. In addition to the rails itself, the freight railroads also offer services to Amtrak ranging from station maintenance, train dispatching, and emergency repairs to security.

Both the union and railroad negotiators will meet again with the National Mediation Board on Thursday and Friday. The negotiations between the 12 railroad worker unions and the National Carriers’ Conference Committee have been going on for years.

We are way past due for a general strike.
 
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Ever worked for a railroad?...Just passed the 20 year mark a month ago...If you haven't had the pleasure...trust me....you earn every God damn penny..
Son works for the Canadian National. We’ve been talking about this quite a bit. Last week, it was 3 unions, this week, up to 5 that have agreed. There are 7 more needed to get through this thing without shutdowns and delays.

I keep telling him that what they are offering is gravy….he wants more guarantees to time off, etc. he does work hard, and he is low guy on the pole at the CN, he doesn’t understand how this could adversely affect him and those he works with!

I do question the govt’s desire to move down to one man crews….I would think that is just a safety issue and a massive lawsuit waiting to happen! What are your thoughts about this?

Z
 
I thought under the Railway Labor Act there were provisions for multiple 90-day cooling off periods. Meaning, an incredible amount of time has to pass before they could possibly walk off the job. Have they actually reached that point? If so, pretty rare.
They have. We are at the end of that period. I believe these negotiations have been good g on since 2019??
 
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At what point do they have you vote on a contract? Has that been done at all?

I've seen three contracts implemented during my time on the railroad. This will be the forth. I've never been asked to vote on any of them. Not a single member of my lodge has.
 
And you are therefore against workers since you know unions have been very successful at increasing worker pay.



The labor shortage that just now happened after how many decades of businesses exploiting labor?

If labor extracted the collective pain on businesses that labor has had to endure for the past 4 to 5 decades it would be crazy.
Arguing with Trad over anything but grilling is a waste of time. He doesn't have a clue about pretty much anything.
 
If everyone who provides supplies and materials for the railroads colluded on price, that would be unlawful.

But labor?

BAU...
The right to collective bargaining is protected under law, is it not?

Why should those two things be the same? Are you arguing for unfettered capitalism and zero workers rights or strict price controls and unions here?
 
I do question the govt’s desire to move down to one man crews….I would think that is just a safety issue and a massive lawsuit waiting to happen! What are your thoughts about this?

Now that PTC is in effect on almost all core route and signaled main, I can see why there’s a push for trains manned by only an engineer. The safety redundancy of PTC allows for that. However, that’s only feasible and/or safe for trains traveling long distances, non-stop, on PTC track. It’s essential to have a conductor for all other circumstances of rail freight.
 
I have never worked in a field that has union representation.
Everything about unions is obviously not “positive”, but there are reasons that they exist.

‘oh, ok. So you also have no clue about the worker side. Maybe you should shut up about it then. FYI, there is a member of these very negotiations being discussed that you seemed to have glossed over. It doesn’t appear these unions really even care or know about the worker side. I have been a card carrying union member and couldn’t wait to get away from it.
 
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My response to the trad is not limited to Union workers. He continually blasts unions, even tho his employees are not Union.
I have worked for over 40 years and have some context for my views.
 
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I've seen three contracts implemented during my time on the railroad. This will be the forth. I've never been asked to vote on any of them. Not a single member of my lodge has.
For real? My dad worked for the railroad and I remember him talking about voting on contracts but that could have been when they were on strike. He retired in 99. And of course my friend that works for Kellogg’s had to vote on their contract. I assumed that was standard for every union
 
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Going on strike should cause workers to go to jail. Especially when we're talking about national economic interests.

This isn't a bunch of slackers putting a coffee shop out of business. This is real national economic impact.
 
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For real? My dad worked for the railroad and I remember him talking about voting on contracts but that could have been when they were on strike. He retired in 99. And of course my friend that works for Kellogg’s had to vote on their contract. I assumed that was standard for every union

That's the truth. The union regularly ratifies details of the contract in place as well. Without us voting on the changes. And without notice going out until the change is made. I can give a number of specific examples of this.
 
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