The Railway Workers Unions are likely going on strike. The complaint? They get no sick time, and can't even take unpaid time off to attend routine doctor's visits without being penalized by their employers. Biden is trying to avert a strike through negotiation, but the Railway workers have picked a very good time to make their complaints heard. Biden had prioritized resolving the supply chain crisis, and this will tank it completely. Rail freight accounts for about 30% of all goods moved in the US. As the majority of Amtrack passenger trains operate on tracks that they lease right of way from freight companies, this would also impact rail travel and even many commuter trains. This follows unsuccessful emergency meetings at the White House last week, which have been led by the White House National Economic Council and included Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is also involved in trying to broker the impasse. Here we go again. But I have to say, I fully support the Unions. Those working conditions are absolutely ridiculous in the 21st century.
By happenstance, I bought some cheap bidets in December of 2019, all I have to say is that anyone who doesn't have a bidet by now deserves to suffer from a lack of toilet paper.
I really feel for the workers here. Those time-off conditions seem awful. Really seems like the railways need to suck it up and staff up. With 3.2% unemployment though, I don’t know where they’re going to staff up from.
Looking like there may be a deal. https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/14/first-railroad-union-authorize-strike-00056629
Biden has indeed announced there is a deal in place, pending ratification by the Union. The best part? The workers got everything they wanted. 24% pay increase staggered over 5 years, and the ability to take unpaid time to attend to doctor's visits and personal matters if they don't have vacation. This will likely force the hedge funds that run the raill companies to actually hire some people for coverage. Huge props to the Biden administration - Sec of Labor Marty Walsh, Sec of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and ole Amtrak Joe, who knows something about railroads after traveling to work on Amtrak every day for 40 years. https://www.npr.org/2022/09/15/1123...labor-deal-has-been-reached-averting-a-strike
The GOP solution, by the way, was to pass a bill requiring the unions to accept the deal previously on the table. The unions have said that Biden's approach of keeping Congress neutral was a big part of their willingness to negotiate.
Biden has been quietly racking up quite a track record. Of course that won't stop the right wing echo chamber from pushing the "Senile Joe" slander, but his approval ratings are also quietly going up. Biden is about as exciting as watching paint dry, but while competence is not nearly as entertaining as chaos (remember that "may you live in interesting times" is a curse, not a benediction) it's a hell of a let better when it comes to getting stuff done. I would say we should consider what would have happened if Trump had won, but on that path lies madness...
Yeah, now no one cares. Pelosi has her millions and her husband special Ed's portfolio. Biden has his MBNA millions, and all he has to do is fund hunter's drug problem by pimping him out to another oil company. Can Biden adopt me because I would love to make millions a year as superfluous CEO of a company for drugs and all I have to do is be nice to dad. What I am saying is those railroad workers just got railroaded because no one gives a fuck anymore. It is the longest distance to the next election and america has the memory retention of a ADD addled alzheimers patient. No one will remember in february if the rail workers strike now. They should have done the strike in September, just sayin.
I didn’t say everyone. It’s meant to be a joke about sewage, but apparently that went over your head.
Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio have joined forces with Bernie Fucking Sanders to require railroads to give their employees paid sick days. https://twitter.com/juddlegum/status/1597985253112643587?s=46&t=7FKzZj-uQPQqLzKgXOpzyg
If Biden gets 60 votes in the Senate to give Railroad Workers seven days of sick leave then he will have transformed into the Darkest of Bidens. LOL!
So congress split this shit up into 2 bills so they could have an opportunity to force railway workers to work without sick leave? This is not actually on the new republican house, this is completely on Nancy Pelosi's plate as she retires from being speaker, and even AOC is so bought by the railroads she voted for this bullshit? I will wait to see whether or not congress forces the railway owners to give their employees sick time, but there was no reason to split this bullshit other than to give the corporations the ability to force workers to work without sick time. Fuck all of them, and I hope the rail workers strike anyway if this shit happens. Bring the dems, reps, and the cuntry to it's knees for trying to force them to work while sick for corporate profits. No, I did not misspell cuntry.