How a railroad strike could send food prices soaring

[TitanTiger 20,480]

4 hours ago, I_M4_AU said:

Heaven forbid Brandon gets blamed for anything he and his policies have created.  That would be simplistic thinking.

There's plenty of stuff worth blaming Biden for, or at least saying he has a big part in creating.  But this just isn't one of those things.  Much of this inflationary pressure would have happened no matter who was in office because of the pandemic and the US and global response to the economic shock it created.  I don't think it's too much to ask that we speak realistically and accurately rather than just knee-jerking to lazy partisan finger pointing.

[I_M4_AU 7,810]

9 minutes ago, TitanTiger said:

There's plenty of stuff worth blaming Biden for, or at least saying he has a big part in creating.  But this just isn't one of those things.  Much of this inflationary pressure would have happened no matter who was in office because of the pandemic and the US and global response to the economic shock it created.  I don't think it's too much to ask that we speak realistically and accurately rather than just knee-jerking to lazy partisan finger pointing.

I agree inflation was on the rise even before Biden got in office, but his insane policies on his war on the fossil fuel industry, allowing Nord Stream 2 completion, his disastrous withdrawal of our military from Afghanistan and signaling to Putin he would do nothing to stop his advance on Ukraine enhanced the global and US inflation that could have lessened the affects.  Europe will be paying for his leadership this winter.

Of course, I don’t expect you to agree.

[aubiefifty 16,778]

On 9/16/2022 at 12:40 PM, I_M4_AU said:

I agree inflation was on the rise even before Biden got in office, but his insane policies on his war on the fossil fuel industry, allowing Nord Stream 2 completion, his disastrous withdrawal of our military from Afghanistan and signaling to Putin he would do nothing to stop his advance on Ukraine enhanced the global and US inflation that could have lessened the affects.  Europe will be paying for his leadership this winter.

Of course, I don’t expect you to agree.

i read a couple of times that biden used trumps plan to pull the troops out of larryland. i know trump got in trouble with the generals for giving a date which they said would harm more troops. what you got on your end?

[aubiefifty 16,778]

well i heard the strike was dealt with and they came to an agreement. i am not sure how much longer i can deal with paying higher prices for foods. being a newly diagnosed diabetic i think it would kill me if i had to go back to baloney sammies and that sort of thing. i am considered living on the poverty level as it is after 27 and a half years in military and the depot.

[I_M4_AU 7,810]

1 minute ago, aubiefifty said:

i read a couple of times that biden used trumps plan to pull the troops out of larryland. i know trump got in trouble with the generals for giving a date which they said would harm more troops. what you got on your end?

Biden is a idiot.  Trump’s plan to leave Afghanistan was to do it in spring during Ramadan when there is no fighting.  Biden’s excuse was to use Trump’s plan, but he didn’t.  He left during the hight of the fighting season when the weather is conducive to conflict.  He, in fact, gave the Taliban a date that the Taliban forced Joe to honor and that did cost 13 Marines their lives.

If the generals were so opposed to giving a specific date; why did they sit on their hands when Joe insisted on leaving on August 31st?

[icanthearyou 4,462]

9 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

Biden is a idiot.  Trump’s plan to leave Afghanistan was to do it in spring during Ramadan when there is no fighting.  Biden’s excuse was to use Trump’s plan, but he didn’t.  He left during the hight of the fighting season when the weather is conducive to conflict.  He, in fact, gave the Taliban a date that the Taliban forced Joe to honor and that did cost 13 Marines their lives.

If the generals were so opposed to giving a specific date; why did they sit on their hands when Joe insisted on leaving on August 31st?

Staying longer would have saved live and money?  I think your criticism is based in political rhetoric, free from reality.

[I_M4_AU 7,810]

1 minute ago, icanthearyou said:

Staying longer would have saved live and money?  I think your criticism is based in political rhetoric, free from reality.

The reality is we had no US soldiers deaths in Afghanistan for a year and a half before the withdrawal.  If Biden would have waited until the winter to leave, I believe there would have been no US soldiers die during the evacuation.  By insisting on leaving on August 31st, a totally self imposed date, and trusting the Taliban for security in the last days cost 13 Marines their lives.

He had to trust the Taliban because he withdrew from the airbase we had control over and had to rely on the public airport to evacuate.  Joe is an idiot and remains so today.

The reality is that Joe Biden turned Afghanistan over to the same Taliban that we went in there to destroy and supplied them with billions of dollars worth of state of the art war machines and armament.

We were going to leave, but the way Biden did it was ignorant.

[icanthearyou 4,462]

1 minute ago, I_M4_AU said:

The reality is we had no US soldiers deaths in Afghanistan for a year and a half before the withdrawal.  If Biden would have waited until the winter to leave, I believe there would have been no US soldiers die during the evacuation.  By insisting on leaving on August 31st, a totally self imposed date, and trusting the Taliban for security in the last days cost 13 Marines their lives.

He had to trust the Taliban because he withdrew from the airbase we had control over and had to rely on the public airport to evacuate.  Joe is an idiot and remains so today.

The reality is that Joe Biden turned Afghanistan over to the same Taliban that we went in there to destroy and supplied them with billions of dollars worth of state of the art war machines and armament.

We were going to leave, but the way Biden did it was ignorant.

You don't seem to realize that there was another side whom we do not control.

Your first sentence perfectly defined your intentions and, depth of genuine analysis.

We all understand that you loath, hate, despise Joe Biden.

[I_M4_AU 7,810]

1 minute ago, icanthearyou said:

You don't seem to realize that there was another side whom we do not control.

Your first sentence perfectly defined your intentions and, depth of genuine analysis.

We all understand that you loath, hate, despise Joe Biden.

Trump seemed to be able to control the Taliban as there were no deaths for a year and a half before the withdrawal.  Biden goes in there gets 13 Marines killed and does nothing.  Its hard to control someone if there isn’t any consequences for your actions.  Then he leaves billions of dollars worth of equipment behind, is it any wonder the world views Biden as weak?

Your last sentence is spot on.  He is the worst President in the history of Presidents.

[Auburn85 432]

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/rail-union-rejects-deal-brokered-white-house-renewing/story?id=91326426

 

 

Quote

 

Rail union rejects deal brokered by White House, renewing possibility of nationwide strike

ByMax Zahn and Sam Sweeney

 

A union representing about 12,000 rail workers on Monday voted down a tentative contract that was brokered by the White House last month ahead of a possible rail strike.

This vote will force the two sides back to the negotiating table and creates the possibility of a nationwide strike. The potential work stoppage could paralyze the nation's supply chain and transportation rail service later this fall as the U.S. enters peak holiday season.

Four unions have ratified contracts based on the agreement brokered by the White House, while seven have votes pending on the deal. The eleven unions represent about 115,000 rail workers.

The two largest rail unions -- the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers Trainmen, or BLET, and the SMART Transportation Division, or SMART-TD, which make up roughly half of all rail workers -- are set to finish voting in the middle of next month.

The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the Teamsters, or BMWED, rejected the tentative contract due to frustration with compensation and working conditions, particularly a lack of paid sick days, BMWED President Tony Cardell said in a statement on Monday.

"Railroaders do not feel valued," Cardell said. "They resent the fact that management holds no regard for their quality of life."

The National Carriers' Conference Committee, or NCCC, the group representing the freight railroad companies, said in a statement that there is no risk of immediate operational impacts due to this vote. But the NCCC expressed "disappointment" in the decision to reject the contract.

The tentative contract included a 24% compounded wage increase and $5,000 in lump sum payments, as well as "significant increases" to the reimbursements for travel and away-from-home expenses for the roughly 50% of BMWED members employed in traveling roles, the NCCC said.

American railway companies and unions reached a tentative labor agreement last month amid the threat of strikes. That agreement came after 20 consecutive hours of negotiations led by U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh at his office in Washington, D.C., Walsh said last month.

The agreement improved the time-off policies at the rail companies, which made up a key sticking point in the negotiations, BLET and SMART-TD said in a statement last month.

A potential strike could lead to $2 billion a day in lost economic output, according to the Association of American Railroads, which lobbies on behalf of railway companies.

Rail is critical to the entire goods side of the economy, including agriculture, manufacturing, retail and warehousing. Freight railroads are responsible for transporting 40% of the nation's long-haul freight and a work stoppage could endanger those shipments.

"The artery of the U.S. economy is the rail system. It's one of the ways we get everything around. One-third of everything gets around this way. And when you cut it, you have a stroke," Diane Swonk, chief economist at global tax firm KPMG, told ABC News last month.

 

 

[Auburn85 432]

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/railroad-companies-reject-union-sick-time-demands-raising-chance-of-strike

 

 

Quote

 

Railroad companies reject union sick time demands, raising chance of strike

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The major freight railroads appear unwilling to give track maintenance workers much more than they received in the initial contract they rejected last week, increasing the chances of a strike.

The railroads took the unusual step of issuing a statement late Wednesday rejecting the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division union’s latest request to add paid sick time on top of the 24 percent raises and $5,000 in bonuses they received in the first five-year deal.

Union Pacific CEO Lance Fritz said Thursday that he thinks the main reason the BMWED rejected its initial contract last week was that the details of improved expense reimbursement in the deal were still being negotiated at UP while workers were voting. So it wasn’t clear exactly what those workers would receive for their travel expenses when they go on the road to repair tracks.

Six of the 12 railroad unions that represent 115,000 workers nationwide have approved their tentative agreements with the railroads so far, but all of them have to ratify their contracts to avoid a strike. The unions have agreed to put any strike on hold until at least mid-November while the BMWED negotiates a new deal and the other unions vote on their proposed contracts, so there’s no immediate threat the the trains most businesses rely on to deliver their raw materials and finished products will stop moving. A railroad strike could devastate the economy.

“Ultimately, I remain confident that we’re going to get our temporary agreements ratified and be able to avoid a strike. That’s still a possibility but I don’t think it’s a probability,” Fritz told investors after his railroad released its earnings report.

The group that negotiations on behalf of the major railroads, including UP, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, CSX and Kansas City Southern, said the new contracts should closely follow the recommendations of the special board of arbitrators that President Joe Biden appointed this summer. The railroads said that board rejected union demands for paid sick time.

“Now is not the time to introduce new demands that rekindle the prospect of a railroad strike,” the railroads said.

Officials at the BMWED union didn’t immediately respond to the railroads Thursday. Concerns about quality of life and the ability for workers — particularly the engineers and conductors who drive the trains — to take time off without being penalized have weighed heavily on the negotiations.

But the railroads say workers do have significant short-term disability benefits that kick in after four or seven days and last up to 52 weeks that the unions have negotiated for over the years. The railroads said the unions have repeatedly agreed that short-term absences would be unpaid in favor of higher wages and more generous benefits for long-term illnesses.

If both sides can’t agree on contracts, Congress could step in to block a strike and impose terms on the workers.

By —

Josh Funk, Associated Press

 

 

[Auburn85 432]

https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-strikes-congress-government-and-politics-055609b54cfd5d21de0f42fccddff22b

 

 

Quote

 

House votes to avert rail strike, impose deal on unions

 

By KEVIN FREKING and JOSH FUNK November 30

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. House moved urgently to head off the looming nationwide rail strike on Wednesday, passing a bill that would bind companies and workers to a proposed settlement that was reached in September but rejected by some of the 12 unions involved.

The measure passed by a vote of 290-137 and now heads to the Senate. If approved there, it will be signed by President Joe Biden, who urged the Senate to act swiftly.

“Without the certainty of a final vote to avoid a shutdown this week, railroads will begin to halt the movement of critical materials like chemicals to clean our drinking water as soon as this weekend,” Biden said. “Let me say that again: without action this week, disruptions to our auto supply chains, our ability to move food to tables, and our ability to remove hazardous waste from gasoline refineries will begin.”

Business groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Farm Bureau Federation have warned that halting rail service would cause a $2 billion per day hit to the economy.

The bill would impose a compromise labor agreement brokered by the Biden administration that was ultimately voted down by four of the 12 unions representing more than 100,000 employees at large freight rail carriers. The unions have threatened to strike if an agreement can’t be reached before a Dec. 9 deadline.

Lawmakers from both parties expressed reservations about overriding the negotiations. And the intervention was particularly difficult for Democratic lawmakers who have traditionally sought to align themselves with the politically powerful labor unions that criticized Biden’s move to intervene in the contract dispute and block a strike.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded to that concern by adding a second vote Wednesday that would add seven days of paid sick leave per year for rail workers covered under the agreement. However, it will take effect only if the Senate goes along and passes both measures. The House passed the sick leave measure as well, but by a much narrower margin, 221-207, as Republicans overwhelmingly opposed it, indicating that prospects for passage of that add-on are slim in the evenly divided Senate.

The call for more paid sick leave was a major sticking point in the talks. The railroads say the unions have agreed in negotiations over the decades to forgo paid sick time in favor of higher wages and strong short-term disability benefits.

The head of the Association of American Railroads trade group said Tuesday that railroads would consider adding paid sick time in the future, but said that change should wait for a new round of negotiations instead of being added now, near the end of three years of contract talks.

The unions maintain that railroads can easily afford to add paid sick time at a time when they are recording record profits. Several of the big railroads involved in these contract talks reported more than $1 billion profit in the third quarter.

“Quite frankly, the fact that paid leave is not part of the final agreement between railroads and labor is, in my opinion, obscene,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. “It should be there and I hope it will be there at the end of this process.”

Most rail workers don’t receive any paid sick time but they do have short-term disability benefits that kick in after as little as four days and can replace some of their income for a year or more. Rail workers do receive vacation and personal leave days, but workers say it’s difficult to use those for illnesses because they must typically be approved far ahead of time.

Republicans also voiced support for the measure to block the strike, but criticized the Biden administration for turning to Congress to “step in to fix the mess.”

“They’ve retreated in failure and they kicked this problem to Congress for us to decide,” said Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo.

Republicans criticized Pelosi’s decision to add the sick leave bill to the mix. They said the Biden administration’s own special board of arbitrators recommended higher wages to compensate the unions for not including sick time in its recommendations.

“Why do we even have the system set up the way it is if Congress is going to come in and make changes to all of the recommendations?” Graves said.

Pelosi sought to position Democrats and the Biden administration as defenders of unions and slammed the rail companies, saying they’ve slashed jobs, increased worker hours and cut corners on safety. But she said Congress needed to intervene.

“Families wouldn’t be able to buy groceries or life-saving medications because it would be even more expensive and perishable goods would spoil before reaching shelves,” Pelosi said.

The compromise agreement that was supported by the railroads and a majority of the unions provides for 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses retroactive to 2020 along with one additional paid leave day. The raises would be the biggest rail workers have received in more than four decades. Workers would have to pay a larger share of their health insurance costs, but their premiums would be capped at 15% of the total cost of the insurance plan. The agreement did not resolve workers’ concerns about schedules that make it hard to take a day off and the lack of more paid sick time.

On several past occasions, Congress has intervened in labor disputes by enacting legislation to delay or prohibit railway and airline strikes.

___

Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska.

 

 

[Auburn85 432]

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/02/biden-signs-bill-averting-rail-worker-strike-despite-lack-of-paid-sick-days.html

 

 

Quote

 

Biden signs bill averting rail worker strike despite lack of paid sick days

Published Fri, Dec 2 202211:00 AM EST

 

President Joe Biden signed a bill into law making a rail strike illegal, preventing workers from walking off the job weeks before the holiday season.

“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,” Biden said Friday morning before signing the bill.

 

After his administration aided in negotiations for months, and the sides reached a tentative agreement in September, talks ultimately stalled and rail workers threatened a strike. Biden then asked Congress to intervene, and the Senate passed a bill Thursday making a strike illegal.

The initial agreement brokered by the Biden administration was accepted by all but four rail unions, who were holding out for guaranteed paid sick leave days. The opposing unions, though, represent the majority of rail workers. The workers and companies had until Dec. 9 to reach an agreement before they vowed to strike, which the industry estimated would cost the U.S. economy $2 billion per day.

“Our nation’s rail system is literally the backbone of our supply chain,” Biden said Friday. “So much of what we rely on is delivered on rail, from clean water to food and gas and every other good. A rail shutdown would have devastated our economy. Without freight rail, many of our industries would have literally shut down.”

A strike by rail workers so close to the holiday season — and in a period of high inflation — could potentially raze the economy. Biden was adamant that Congress send the legislation to his desk by Saturday. Without an agreement, rail movement of certain goods was set to be curtailed as soon as this weekend in preparation for the strike.

Biden at the bill signing Friday said his economic advisors told him as many as 765,000 Americans, “many of them union members themselves,” would have lost their jobs.

 

Railroad carriers begin prepping for a strike seven days in advance, according to federal safety measures. The carriers start to prioritize the securing and movement of sensitive materials such as chlorine for drinking water and hazardous materials.

Ninety-six hours before a strike date, chemicals are no longer transported. The American Chemistry Council found a drop of 1,975 carloads of chemical shipments during the week of Sept. 10, when the railroads stopped accepting shipments due to the previous threat of a rail strike.

The four major railroads also typically move more than 80% of the agricultural freight traffic, according to the National Grain and Feed Association.

Congress has the authority to regulate interstate commerce under Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, and the Supreme Court has ruled it can use that authority to intervene in disputes by rail labor that have the potential to affect trade across state lines. A nearly century-old law, the Railway Labor Act of 1926, gives the president the authority to intervene as well in situations where a rail strike could significantly affect essential transportation. The act has been invoked 18 times since it was signed into law.

The House on Wednesday approved a separate measure that would have added seven days of paid sick leave to the contract instead of just one. Though it had bipartisan support in both chambers, that measure was defeated in the Senate vote. Biden at the bill signing thanked Congress for acting so quickly even though he acknowledged it wasn’t an easy vote.

“I know this was a tough vote for members of both parties. It was a tough vote for me,” Biden said. “But it was the right thing to do at the moment to save jobs, to protect millions of working families from harm and disruption and to keep the supply chain stable around the holidays.”

The situation put “union Joe” Biden in a difficult position. Biden said Thursday he supports unions as much as ever, but as president of the United States, rather than a single senator from Delaware, it was his job to look out for all Americans. He said has long been a proponent of paid sick leave, and will still work to make it a right for all workers, not just rail workers.

The initial agreement brokered by the White House would give rail workers a 24% pay increase over five years from 2020 through 2024, immediate payouts averaging $11,000 upon ratification. Under the agreement, workers would receive one extra paid day off and the promise they could attend medical appointments without penalty.

Workers, though, balked at the lack of paid sick leave, because under the agreement they would have to use unpaid time off for medical appointments. Biden on Friday acknowledged his disappointment that paid sick leave was not included in the agreement.

“Look, I know this bill doesn’t have paid sick leave that these workers, frankly every worker in America, deserves, but that fight isn’t over,” Biden said. “I didn’t commit we were going to stop, that just because we couldn’t get it into this bill that we were going to stop fighting for it. I supported paid sick leave for a long time and I’m going to continue that fight until we succeed.”

Union leaders told CNBC they would remember who sided against them in upcoming elections. Union support was critical to forming Biden’s ultimately winning coalition in the 2020 election.

 

 

[homersapien 11,371]

"The trials awaiting McCarthy’s already teetering speakership could be previewed during this week’s rail-strike debate. On the floor, Republicans joined Democrats in warning that failure to pass the bill would lead to “obviously a catastrophic economic disaster,” as Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) put it. But when the roll call came, 129 Republicans voted no — including McCarthy. Sixty percent of the Republican caucus would cause economic calamity before cooperating with Democrats.

America Second!"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/02/pelosi-last-news-conference-hakeem-jeffries/

[I_M4_AU 7,810]

2 minutes ago, homersapien said:

"The trials awaiting McCarthy’s already teetering speakership could be previewed during this week’s rail-strike debate. On the floor, Republicans joined Democrats in warning that failure to pass the bill would lead to “obviously a catastrophic economic disaster,” as Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) put it. But when the roll call came, 129 Republicans voted no — including McCarthy. Sixty percent of the Republican caucus would cause economic calamity before cooperating with Democrats.

America Second!"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/02/pelosi-last-news-conference-hakeem-jeffries/

Such a misread.  Could it be the Republicans wanted the two sides to negotiate before ramming down a solution that the unions didn’t want?  I thought the Democrats were the party of the working people.  This ram down was not necessary until the unions struck.  Then would be the time to tell then they can’t strike to save the economy..

[homersapien 11,371]

1 hour ago, I_M4_AU said:

Such a misread.  Could it be the Republicans wanted the two sides to negotiate before ramming down a solution that the unions didn’t want?  I thought the Democrats were the party of the working people.  This ram down was not necessary until the unions struck.  Then would be the time to tell then they can’t strike to save the economy..

No.

They wanted a failure leading to the consequences described.  They place party above country.

[icanthearyou 4,462]

22 hours ago, homersapien said:

No.

They wanted a failure leading to the consequences described.  They place party above country.

They do not even hide their intentions to act as a counter-government.  Exactly the type of partisanship that will destroy our country.

[I_M4_AU 7,810]

On 12/3/2022 at 12:39 PM, homersapien said:

No.

They wanted a failure leading to the consequences described.  They place party above country.

A differing opinion:

Roadway mechanic Reece Murtagh was more direct, telling CNN Friday that unionized workers' collective bargaining rights have been "trampled on."

"Their voice has not been heard, they voted against the contract," Murtagh said. "We have a pro-labor president who loves to, you know, pat himself on the back for that, and when the going got tough, he turned his back on the people he’s supposed to be looking out for."

https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/rail-workers-speak-out-biden-forces-unions-accept-deal-he-turned-back?intcmp=tw_fnc

 

[homersapien 11,371]

8 hours ago, I_M4_AU said:

A differing opinion:

Roadway mechanic Reece Murtagh was more direct, telling CNN Friday that unionized workers' collective bargaining rights have been "trampled on."

"Their voice has not been heard, they voted against the contract," Murtagh said. "We have a pro-labor president who loves to, you know, pat himself on the back for that, and when the going got tough, he turned his back on the people he’s supposed to be looking out for."

https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/rail-workers-speak-out-biden-forces-unions-accept-deal-he-turned-back?intcmp=tw_fnc

 

Democrats are working to ensure all Americans benefit from sick time: 

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/3415

I suspect these RR workers will get it sooner or later, if the Democrats get their way. 

If the GQP doesn't block it of course. They'd be happier with a strike at Christmas no matter the cost to our economy - the worse the better for them. 

Healthcare costs needs to be removed from the backs of corporations.  It will eventually be Democrats that accomplish that, not Rethuglicans.

Edited December 5, 2022 by homersapien

[icanthearyou 4,462]

8 hours ago, I_M4_AU said:

A differing opinion:

Roadway mechanic Reece Murtagh was more direct, telling CNN Friday that unionized workers' collective bargaining rights have been "trampled on."

"Their voice has not been heard, they voted against the contract," Murtagh said. "We have a pro-labor president who loves to, you know, pat himself on the back for that, and when the going got tough, he turned his back on the people he’s supposed to be looking out for."

https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/rail-workers-speak-out-biden-forces-unions-accept-deal-he-turned-back?intcmp=tw_fnc

 

Well, he is wrong and, he is also not wrong.

He is wrong in the sense that the president did not turn his back on anyone.  The president represented the best interests of all, not a few. 

He is correct in the sense that labor is not afforded the same rights as capital in regard to taking advantage of circumstances. market conditions.  When capital takes more by virtue of a power shift or, some change in market conditions,,, that's just capitalism.  However, when labor has an upper hand because of market circumstances, we all expect labor not to immediately want to take advantage of those market circumstances. 

We have been trained, conditioned to revere capital and, think of labor as just some mere commodity.  Strange really because, the vast majority of us would be identified as labor and, would be better served by supporting labor.  Our decline as a country began when productivity rates and wage rates diverged.  Relative equality in income is vital to a peaceful, prosperous society.  Relative equality is in everyone's interest, particularly the extremely wealthy. 

[I_M4_AU 7,810]

13 hours ago, icanthearyou said:

Well, he is wrong and, he is also not wrong.

He is wrong in the sense that the president did not turn his back on anyone.  The president represented the best interests of all, not a few. 

He is correct in the sense that labor is not afforded the same rights as capital in regard to taking advantage of circumstances. market conditions.  When capital takes more by virtue of a power shift or, some change in market conditions,,, that's just capitalism.  However, when labor has an upper hand because of market circumstances, we all expect labor not to immediately want to take advantage of those market circumstances. 

We have been trained, conditioned to revere capital and, think of labor as just some mere commodity.  Strange really because, the vast majority of us would be identified as labor and, would be better served by supporting labor.  Our decline as a country began when productivity rates and wage rates diverged.  Relative equality in income is vital to a peaceful, prosperous society.  Relative equality is in everyone's interest, particularly the extremely wealthy. 

If the President is representing the best interest of all he is siding with the RR in this instance.  He negotiated this deal and some unions turned it down.  Then the President shuts down the negotiations (RR labor act) by Congressional decree.  How is this supporting the labor union that is trying to negotiate a better deal with the RR?

The only reason labor was not afforded the same rights in this case is because of Bide and the Congress. They did the bidding of the very system you are railing over.  I can’t believe you can’t see this.  If the labor union could not reach a deal, then the RR has the right to implement their plan and, if the union doesn’t like the terms, they can strike.  For some reason Biden didn’t want to let the protocol play out.  At that point Biden could then stop any work stoppage.  In other words let the RR and unions time to do the right thing.  What the unions got was being knee capped by the very bravado Biden in known for.

 

[icanthearyou 4,462]

2 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

If the President is representing the best interest of all he is siding with the RR in this instance.  He negotiated this deal and some unions turned it down.  Then the President shuts down the negotiations (RR labor act) by Congressional decree.  How is this supporting the labor union that is trying to negotiate a better deal with the RR?

The only reason labor was not afforded the same rights in this case is because of Bide and the Congress. They did the bidding of the very system you are railing over.  I can’t believe you can’t see this.  If the labor union could not reach a deal, then the RR has the right to implement their plan and, if the union doesn’t like the terms, they can strike.  For some reason Biden didn’t want to let the protocol play out.  At that point Biden could then stop any work stoppage.  In other words let the RR and unions time to do the right thing.  What the unions got was being knee capped by the very bravado Biden in known for.

 

Yes, Putin is in the "drivers seat".  Joe is in over his head. 

Talk radio is highly educational.

[I_M4_AU 7,810]

14 hours ago, homersapien said:

Democrats are working to ensure all Americans benefit from sick time: 

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/3415

I suspect these RR workers will get it sooner or later, if the Democrats get their way. 

If the GQP doesn't block it of course. They'd be happier with a strike at Christmas no matter the cost to our economy - the worse the better for them. 

Healthcare costs needs to be removed from the backs of corporations.  It will eventually be Democrats that accomplish that, not Rethuglicans.

So, I take it you don’t believe this guy should have an opinion, especially if it goes against the Democrats.  Do you work in middle management at Twitter?

I suspect the RR workers will not get the chance until this contract is up.  At that time the position of strength they enjoy now will disappear and they will have to rely on the Democrats that just knee capped the present negotiations.  I wonder how long their memories are?

[I_M4_AU 7,810]

1 minute ago, icanthearyou said:

Yes, Putin is in the "drivers seat".  Joe is in over his head. 

Talk radio is highly educational.

Well, the unions were in the driver’s seat until Joe knee capped them.  That’s how quick things can change.

I see you can’t debate anything I said because you have no idea what it is like to negotiate from labor’s point of view.

[icanthearyou 4,462]

7 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

Well, the unions were in the driver’s seat until Joe knee capped them.  That’s how quick things can change.

I see you can’t debate anything I said because you have no idea what it is like to negotiate from labor’s point of view.

Good to see you have become a big union supporter.  Thank you.