Labor attorney discusses railway union decision to reject new contract

The third largest railroad union in the U.S. has rejected a deal with employers, renewing the possibility of a nationwide strike that could ripple through the economy. Richard Edelman, the attorney for the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes, joined CBS News to discuss why the members rejected the tentative agreement.

#news #railway #union

[TexasRiverRat]

Give the rank and file union employees the same sick day and vacation package the executives receive.

[Daytontruckstrain]

Give the railway workers what they want they work hard

[fatesrival]

Good for y'all. You deserve sick time. The railroad corporate lackeys can pound sand. Time to strike.

[rutherfordlinares]

Company management treats employees like crap, then the employees treat customers like crap. But there is no other recourse due to lack of competition. Amazing how the last time a corporation was broken up ATT, It slowly someway and somehow re acquired all its baby bells back

[hrdwrkncnsrvatv]

Railroad workers worked thru the pandemic, and had to travel all over the country. If we sneezed our coughed we were forced out of work with no pay for 10+ days. Executives worked from home without missing out on pay, they have sick days and personal days, they didn't have to worry about not getting paid. The Railroads take advantage of our no strike clause waiting for congress to step in and give the railroads a favorable deal.
CORPORATE GREED!

[jwhmerica]

I’m an engineer. I have no days off. I have to take a day off and then Im in debt and have to pay it back.
It’s based on points. mon-Thursday is 2 pints and Friday and Saturday is 4 points Sunday is 3 and holidays are 7 even the day before the holiday and sometimes after. You start with 30 pints and as you take a day off you have to work 14 days straight turn four points back. If you go below zero on the third time you’re fired. I have no scheduled days off I work nights and days. I miss my wife and kids.

[shanekeefer]

Just give the workers what they wanted. They have every right to demand for compensation and be treated with respect by any means necessary. If they went on strike and the economy shut down, the fault is on the corporations who won't respect their employees. I am sick and tired of people just blaming unions instead of the corps that abuse their employees when stuff like this happens that could cause disruptions in the economy. The point is to make that disruption so they would stop being abused. Unfortunately, the idea of asking nicely for real needs and being granted them is all fantasy, and if someone is being abusive, why would they care anyways

[ryelz]

If the railroad is all about safety. Why don't they allow their employees to go to Dr's appointments? That's a huge no no and could result in a hazardous work environment. Completely unsafe! Also the railroad needs to ease up because the next generation is not going to want to work there. Gen z's way of making money is mostly social media platform's and will not want to work for an employer so demanding that doesn't give much time at home and with their families. They're the future of us all so the railroad needs to start adjusting now.

[dougmcclintic]

The tentative agreement they gave us to ratify is a slap in the face to rail workers, it does not provide enough of a raise to even keep up with inflation, our work rules and working conditions are not addressed, the 22% raise will be offset by the rise in the consumer price index, it may be a substantial raise, but inflation is also at a 50 year high, Current conditions provide an excellent opportunity for victory for the workers, Given the objective conditions: record profits of the carriers; a severe shortage of workers; supply chains in crisis; the rail industry and PSR discredited; the achievement of a universal bargaining coalition of all rail labor; a general upsurge in labor and union organizing; unions viewed more favorably by the public than at any time in the last 50 years, now is the best chance we have
had in decades to win something, not to give in. – Underlying Issues and problems not addressed. The rail industry is in a state of crisis. This tentative agreement does nothing to address nor rectify the underlying causes of worker disillusionment and dissatisfaction with their working conditions. Short staffing, long hours, harsh attendance policies, poor scheduling practices, a lack of time off work, and a generally inferior quality of work life would continue under this contract if ratified. Future solidarity and unity in bargaining will be compromised. If unions that are party to a coalition break away
at the drop of a hat and make their own deals without consultation with the rest of the coalition, we can expect the next bargaining round to be a return of the bad old days of “every union for itself.” The carriers’ divide-and-conquer will hold no water; WE NEED A BETTER CONTRACT TO RATIFY. – We are essential workers. We labored long and hard through the pandemic – many of us without any sick leave, often under draconian attendance policies. Many of my fellow rail workers have died of COVID working through this pandemic. Many of our ancestors have died for the agreements we enjoy now, 3 years in and still no contract, by the time we get one ratified it will be time for the next round of bargaining for the next 5-year agreement. We have waited long enough.

[MrJuvefrank]

0:16The only time railroads should use orange locomtives is on Halloween.

[stompugood]

I work for the Railroad and this is B.S. We should not have to take a deal that we cant vote on....is that the democratic way??? These rich companys keep getting richer off our broken backs. We have no way of getting better wages and we have no sick days plus there gonna double our health insurance. This Government has no right to decide what we make $$$ Once again our President has FAILED if he forces us to except what Congress thinks is fair. Now we can't strike to get what we want so the Government is on the Big Powerful Bullys of the Railroad Powers....It's gonna be a sad day for UNION Brothers everywhere!!!! So tell me how we get a better deal??? We don't wanna hurt the country just our greedy Railroad Leaders!!!

[dougmcclintic]

WE GOT ALMOST NOTHING WE WERE ASKING FOR!!!! we asked for held away from home terminal pay to start at 12 hours, currently we have to be in a hotel for 16 hours before we start getting paid anything, we get meal reimbursements that were negotiated 15 years ago no increase there, no increase in pay for working through lunch we get 2$ to NOT HAVE LUNCH we have no breaks and no lunch period in a 12 hour shift.we got nothing, the 22 percent raise does not keep up with inflation. I can tell you a lot of workers are going to take the back pay and quit, the railroads will be so short staffed they will wish they gave us the sick days.

[stellasomad]

Greed will destroy what is left of this country! This case in point.

[nicholecollins]

What is the worst that could happen in giving them paid sick leave versus not giving them anything and making it illegal for them to use a strike to get what they want.

[monastero]

They are right. Paid Sick leaves is a right… definitely…

[cliffordishii]

Amid chaos and suffering Americans are encouraged to become Biblical Christians.

[raulrodriguez]

Well here we go again what can I say everybody wants union and now they got the country just where they want them either you signed a contract or we strike only in America

[paulfur]

Da Eco no money is rolling a long at full steam.

[bootstrapstylerich]

Was there a tentative deal or not? I am confused....Fox News says there was no "tentative" deal and then this storefront abagado first says they rejected the "tenantive/contract deal" and then five minutes later; he says there was no "tentative"

[stevenhutton]

Well now we know why they have no pto there are so many of them