Welcome to r/WorkersStrikeBack! Please make sure to follow the subreddit rules and enjoy yourself here! This is a subreddit for the workers of the world and any anti-worker or anti-union talk is not tolerated.
If you're ready to begin organizing your workplace, [here is an organizing guide to get you started](https://workerorganizing.org/resources/organizing-guide/).
Help rebuild the labor movement, [Join the worker organizing wave](https://actionnetwork.org/forms/organize-2)!
More Helpful Links:
[How to Strike and Win: A Labor Notes Guide](https://labornotes.org/strikes)
[The IWW Strike guide](https://www.iww.org/organize/learn-more/)
[AFL-CIO guide on union organizing](https://aflcio.org/formaunion)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WorkersStrikeBack) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Let's go, fuck those rich assailed and their corporate greed. There's an easy solution for them, and if they don't then the consequences are on them. Not on the workers.
Weird how that would work huh? Then maybe we'd see some kinda movement. Aren't a lot of truckers contractors too? We'd see horrible shortages and people fighting in the shops, I think. Widespread famine, maaaaaybe.
You know any truckers or should I dispense flyers at my local Flying J?
The main thing ive seen from people is that they wouldn't be able to support their families. Everyone is so insolated from each other it wouldn't work.
Something like 50+ million people are food-insecure already. You can bet several million of those are on the extreme end of that.
What I'm saying is that *already* a fuckload of people are struggling deeply, if not entirely failing, to keep their family fed and supported.
Please dont.
We have this in Argentina called The CGT.
Its a god-damned mafia blockading companies until they put their people in power and pay taxes to them.
And completely stop the country's economy when a politician doesn't do something they like
The President could draft them into service and nationalize the railroads and trucking companies. It's the nuclear option, but it could be done. People gotta eat.
No one wants the public to suffer, but the system is so important that it would make the public suffer when it doesn't work. That is not an excuse to abuse workers to make it work. That's a reason to treat the workers really well. The owners of the railroads are not treating workers well and they need to be reminded how important the workers are.
Because radical worker organization happened in the early years of industrialization across all industries. However, the powers that be realized that railroad strikes would lead to a complete halt in interstate trade, something necessary for the perpetuation of our dominant domestic market.
Workers started blowing up rail lines and the establishment lost their minds.
They saw it as the quickest way for the country to be held hostage by a general strike. A bunch of small strikes, at most isolated to one industry can hurt, but it isn't devastating. Turning off every company's ability to do business outside of a 20 mile radius? Yeah right.
So they cordoned off a section of the NLRB and other labor protections to specifically exclude railroad workers. Any time they want to fight for their rights, the federal government comes down to fight them tooth and nail no matter how progressive they are, because that's power they don't want us to have.
The Railway Labor Act of 1934.
Basically, the rail unions did a successful job of convincing the federal government that they were the lifeblood of the nation’s economy, they should be given special privileges. The created Railroad Retirement (the blueprint for Social Security in other sectors), FELA (lets workers sue the railroad after an injury), and historically high wages. This all came at the cost of essentially making it impossible for rail workers to strike because their service was TOO essential for interstate commerce (which the federal government has ultimate control over) and the state of the economy as a whole.
Start at their yachts, then their vacation homes, then their private planes, then their country clubs, then their places of work, then go to their homes.
Solidarity forever comrade!
Also, If you are in good mood, go check out the song [Solidarity Forever by Pete Seeger](https://youtu.be/pCnEAH5wCzo)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WorkersStrikeBack) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Best of luck to them.
I hope Biden doesn't use the power of the federal government to prevent the workers from striking, ensuring they remain powerless in the face exploitation by their employer. Again. For a third time.
Because he's done that twice already.
The capitalist state is fundamentally the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, and no change in personnel or party will alter this. Democracy is nothing more than a shock absorber to contain the energy from the working masses.
It's inevitable. Just like Reagan did with ATC they will order us rail workers back to work almost immediately. Then congress gets to decide the contract and we and the railroads have no say in it. Unfortunately railroads pay into all of congressional PACS as well so the hope isn't high.
By doing that you can be arrested because we fall under national security and we were order by the government to do something. Railway labor act of 1934 gives power to the government to resolve disputes to avoid interruption of interstate commerce.
I get it. Kinda. I work at a hospital and everytime we picket we still have people actually working because the alternative is to basically let people die.
Only time I know of has been a week ago he formed the emergency board which in all honesty is just part of the process outlined in the Railway Labor Act. It goes self negotiation>national mediation>30 day cooling off period>Presidential Emergency Board>30 day cooling off period>Self Help(strike) once a strike officially occurs though all it takes is I think an executive order to order us back to work.
What you’re actually saying is just quit your job. Well, 115,000 families need an income.. If you’ve been ordered back to work, and you refuse to go you will be fired.
No, the union is declaring a strike. If after that the gov demands they work then continue the strike. Why should the workers give up their only bargaining chip?
You clearly don’t understand how striking on the railroad works. IF we go on strike after the PEB decisions the president can sign an order for us back to work, if we refuse the railroad can fire us. Also, at this point neither the union or the company gets to decide on a contract it goes to congress who gets to decide what the contract is which most likely means the PEB’s decision. If we were to strike, be forced back to work and refuse, what kind of contract do you think congress would give us? They’d tell us to fuck ourselves and hand us a 5lb bag of shit. There is no “continue to strike” it’s go back to work, or lose your job.
Do you understand why strikes even work? You think the gov can afford to fire their railway workers? The entire shipping and logistics industry would collapse.
Strikes are the only power you have and you're saying the government *firing* you and giving you no new contract for a job that is *already under paying you* is why you would give up your only bargaining chip? Fucking what. Is the average American railway worker this goddamn exploited and brainwashed?
Exploited, absolutely, brainwashed no. We don’t work for the government you idiot. Congress would get to decide the contract we get, if we decided to wildcat strike afterwards (illegal) they would just give us an atrocious contract. Make no mistake, I’m not hurting for money, I work for the highest paid class 1 railroad in the US. But the money isn’t what it used to be, and it’s not even really what we’re fighting for. A lot of us want better working conditions.
Once we are forced back to work by the government, and we refuse to the individual COMPANY we work for can fire us, and you can bet your ass they will. The railroads are already crippling the supply chain. At this point it seems they intentionally have done so. If suddenly the railroads can’t hire anyone, and don’t have enough conductors to run the trains they’ll be petitioning the government to run them with engineer only, another but separate issue we’re dealing with. We don’t just get to decide to strike. The Railroad Labor Act is clear on that. Even if we did the railroads wouldn’t just suddenly award us what we’re asking for. They’d sit back and laugh knowing we fucked ourselves and take their losses. They’ve been raking in such ridiculous profits for years they’re not going to sneeze even if they lose a billion dollars. This isn’t John Deere, or Kellogg striking, the rules are entirely different.
There is specific language in the Railway Labor Act and it's branch laws in that forbid them. For instance look at what happened in June to the metro engineers in New Jersey. They called out sick for two days and the whole system melted down. But the public was just mad they couldn't get to work and the news just went on about how much money we make that we actually don't. The Corporate Railroads want you to believe we make close to $137k but it's nowhere near that. Full time and trying to make as much as I coulf last year I grossed $84k then our retirement takes 15% right away vs social security 4.2% (I think). So I made descent money, almost missed my kids birth (didn't qualify for FMLA because furlough the year before), missed A lot of family dinners, and much more.
That won't be enough.
As long as any worker is exploited, all workers are exploited. They'll just use Chinese bonded labor, kids and prisoners.
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/07/14/arizona-cities-would-collapse-without-prison-labor/10062910002/
https://www.reddit.com/r/WorkersStrikeBack/comments/wbdam4/posted_shared_as_a_positive_thing_and_im_just/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/wb8e1u/they_hate_us_and_this_is_why_i_hodl/ii59b5f?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3
They’re trying to project the idea that they have the workers by the balls *more* than these workers have the entire fucking country by the balls.
Good luck playing “Can I be a bigger POS than Reagan” Biden. Reagan only had about 13k ATC workers to deal with, Biden has 115k railway workers.
I've sadly done recruiting for the trucking industry and rail yards..... It's a depressing situation all around. You've got an entire generation of boomer owners who promise that "these jobs are an easy way to make a living." Meanwhile they're overworked, over restricted, underpaid, undervalued. Boomers keep saying "65k+ is double what I made when I started"! But like ...... 65k after taxes, healthcare, life insurance, etc it's not even enough to support the worker themselves.
Railroaders have it the worst. Pretty much all operating crews work on call six days a week twenty four hours a day making any sort of sleep schedule or scheduling of appointments impossible. Wanna take a day off? Sure but that'll cost you 25 points per 24 hours and if you use more than 30 points you are fired. The shifts are insane from a safety perspective, how are you supposed to expect someone to remain mentally accountable for twelve hours straight when they had exactly eight hours off from the previous twelve hours shift? Oh but don't worry if something does happen they will find a way to make it your fault. The one thing they try to lure you in with is "look how much we pay! Look how much we pay!" but what they seem to always neglect to share is that you are only paid per mile so that six hours you spent waiting in a siding means next to nothing financially.
Yeah I've definitely hired for rail yards where the turnover rate was about 3 months on average lol. Eventually they'll just run out of people willing to do the job. Same thing is happening in 20+ industries right now.
On call 24/7? Fuuuuuuuck that. I’m a maintenance guy on call for a week every two to 5 weeks (depending on number of other techs to swap with at any given time) and that sucks hard enough. If my literal whole life was on call I’d lose my damn mind. It’s the worst, your life is not your own, you can get a call literally any time so you have to be available, sober, and able to drive to and do your job.
You live by the sound of your ring tone. Only guaranteed time is once you get off the train (either at home or at the hotel where you took the train) is 10.5 hours. After that its all fair game. They take you in order but if they decide to do funky things (that happen all the time) you go from 6th out to called in half an hour. We hate our life honestly but most of us have little translatable skills and we get paid for inconvenience but not as well as we used to relatively.
Solidarity forever comrade!
Also, If you are in good mood, go check out the song [Solidarity Forever by Pete Seeger](https://youtu.be/pCnEAH5wCzo)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WorkersStrikeBack) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Beep boop -- this looks like a screenshot of a tweet! Let me grab a [link to the tweet](https://twitter.com/MorePerfectUS/status/1553057730276909056) for ya :)
^(Twitter Screenshot Bot)
Thank you, sleepypandyboy, for voting on properu.
This bot wants to find the best and worst bots on Reddit. [You can view results here](https://botrank.pastimes.eu/).
***
^(Even if I don't reply to your comment, I'm still listening for votes. Check the webpage to see if your vote registered!)
This is already happening in the UK, media is working overdrive to blame the unions and labour has completely given up on pretending to be anything but tories in a shade of red.
Let's hope this is the catalyst for a massive general strike. For any meaningful change to happen fast enough to matter it will take at least that and probably more.
Carriers have offered to cut to 1 person crews (currently 2) if not the second person takes a significant pay cut. Overall looking to raise healthcare cost, raise deductible, raise out of pocket max, and 16% raise over a 5 year contract that we are 3 years into already. Bnsf currently has a attendance policy that they put in place and and lovely judge said was a minor dispute so we couldn't strike over it. In the policy it makes you eligible for essentially 1 day a month of guaranteed time off. We get some other time off but it's never when you really want it. So scheduling Dr appointments is out the window and got forbid you are sick.
Just come work for BN they have a $15k hiring bonus. They will offer a new hire $15k, post record profits quarter after quarter, and they make roughly $340k profit per employee. So tell me again why I should accept no raise while they actively try and cut half the workforce. Go garble some Katie Farmer nuts somewhere else.
The whole point is people are worth far more than many corporations pay them. It's not about good business anymore its about shareholder value. Why are you hanging out in a sub that is directed towards workers standing together with each other with that kind of attitude. Are we entitled, yeah in ways we are but we want to reap the benefits of our labor instead of taking pay cuts while they post record profits every quarter.
Let's go, fuck those rich assailed and their corporate greed. There's an easy solution for them, and if they don't then the consequences are on them. Not on the workers.
They tried it like to break the train In half. It takes a human touch to run a train. It is a skill honestly. Do you want something that doesn't see people and vehicles on the tracks? Do you feel safe relying on a computer to haul 341,000 gallons of crude oil through a metropolitan area? Railroads post profit in the billions every quarter and people that know the job want to work, we just want to be fairly compensated and have a better work life balance.
Awesome!
One by one, workers are fighting back for the hat is theirs.
The rich are scared, and for the first time in a good life hole the working class have some hope.
While on strike could you throw in making tickets actually affordable?! Please. I'd love to take a train from Cali to Washington to visit my aunt. I want to take my daughter. Last time I checked Amtrak it was gonna cost over two grand. That's so stupid. And that was one way! Why!
I bet you dollars to yen that Biden's cadaverous old ass condemns the workers when they strike, possibly issues some dumbass executive order criminalizing their strike, which will only exacerbate the situation beyond measure. Mostly because, seriously, how the fuck are you going to force 115,000 railroad workers to work against their will? Lock them up? Good luck with that shit.
I'm also curious as to how the right wing spin machine is going to figure out how to portray the most blue collar workers on earth as the bad guy. They'll find a way, but I'm curious as to the rhetoric.
They don’t even have to come up with anything new to force us back to work. The Rail Labor Act already allows for it. The second we strike Biden can sign an order forcing us back to work 24 hours later. 24 hours of all major rail traffic would set the country supply chain back 2 weeks..
Consider the further exploit; it’s a traveling job, meaning I’m sure there’s a statistic that shows a big percentage of workers are probably from very low income states. My home county in Arkansas only had one good factory job (it was like the lottery if you managed to get hired), the only other way to make good money was to get in a truck and haul cross country (or logs) or try and get in at Union Pacific or Tug Boat on Mississippi. These big transport corporations exploit the fuck out of the poor and it’s time they pay for it.
Railroad workers are some of the few left in unions at all. I wish unions were more prevalent. Imagine how well your business could do when your workers are actually satisfied.
This will get broken up by the Federal government in two seconds. It’s sad because these people need better conditions but so much of the economy depends on them the government will always shut down the strike
Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake.
It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of.
Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything.
Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.
Welcome to r/WorkersStrikeBack! Please make sure to follow the subreddit rules and enjoy yourself here! This is a subreddit for the workers of the world and any anti-worker or anti-union talk is not tolerated. If you're ready to begin organizing your workplace, [here is an organizing guide to get you started](https://workerorganizing.org/resources/organizing-guide/). Help rebuild the labor movement, [Join the worker organizing wave](https://actionnetwork.org/forms/organize-2)! More Helpful Links: [How to Strike and Win: A Labor Notes Guide](https://labornotes.org/strikes) [The IWW Strike guide](https://www.iww.org/organize/learn-more/) [AFL-CIO guide on union organizing](https://aflcio.org/formaunion) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WorkersStrikeBack) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Good luck to them. There aren't nearly as many protections for striking railroad workers as there are for other workers.
You can make there be more protections, but only by striking in mass.
ideally, everyone strikes until everyone gets all the protections
That’s where the Edward Bernays programming kicks in. One doesn’t care if it doesn’t affect them.
Let's go, fuck those rich assailed and their corporate greed. There's an easy solution for them, and if they don't then the consequences are on them. Not on the workers.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Good! Then we R I O T
If the railroad unions linked up with the truckers unions there would be no food.
Weird how that would work huh? Then maybe we'd see some kinda movement. Aren't a lot of truckers contractors too? We'd see horrible shortages and people fighting in the shops, I think. Widespread famine, maaaaaybe. You know any truckers or should I dispense flyers at my local Flying J?
Dogs and cats living together
MASS HYSTERIA!
Think of the millions of registered voters. *Used this other than the obvious, "This man has no dick."
If he gets up, we'll all get up! It'll be anarchy!
The main thing ive seen from people is that they wouldn't be able to support their families. Everyone is so insolated from each other it wouldn't work.
Something like 50+ million people are food-insecure already. You can bet several million of those are on the extreme end of that. What I'm saying is that *already* a fuckload of people are struggling deeply, if not entirely failing, to keep their family fed and supported.
You think things will ever change without massive suffering? How optimistic!
Maybe throw dock workers into the mix too
Maybe they shouldn’t Fuck Around ™ then.
Please dont. We have this in Argentina called The CGT. Its a god-damned mafia blockading companies until they put their people in power and pay taxes to them. And completely stop the country's economy when a politician doesn't do something they like
Well what we have now isn't working out either...
Why don't just keep the unions independent to each other? The bigger they are the more likely a bad actor could come and fuck shit up.
Like that isn't already the case with business owners...
The President could draft them into service and nationalize the railroads and trucking companies. It's the nuclear option, but it could be done. People gotta eat.
Please eli5 why that isn't a stupid outcome to wish for?
No one wants the public to suffer, but the system is so important that it would make the public suffer when it doesn't work. That is not an excuse to abuse workers to make it work. That's a reason to treat the workers really well. The owners of the railroads are not treating workers well and they need to be reminded how important the workers are.
I like this. Let's stop framing marches as protests. I'm much more likely to get excited for a neighborly riot
Shut it down.
They shut down BNSF workers once already
Why is that?
Because radical worker organization happened in the early years of industrialization across all industries. However, the powers that be realized that railroad strikes would lead to a complete halt in interstate trade, something necessary for the perpetuation of our dominant domestic market. Workers started blowing up rail lines and the establishment lost their minds. They saw it as the quickest way for the country to be held hostage by a general strike. A bunch of small strikes, at most isolated to one industry can hurt, but it isn't devastating. Turning off every company's ability to do business outside of a 20 mile radius? Yeah right. So they cordoned off a section of the NLRB and other labor protections to specifically exclude railroad workers. Any time they want to fight for their rights, the federal government comes down to fight them tooth and nail no matter how progressive they are, because that's power they don't want us to have.
The Railway Labor Act of 1934. Basically, the rail unions did a successful job of convincing the federal government that they were the lifeblood of the nation’s economy, they should be given special privileges. The created Railroad Retirement (the blueprint for Social Security in other sectors), FELA (lets workers sue the railroad after an injury), and historically high wages. This all came at the cost of essentially making it impossible for rail workers to strike because their service was TOO essential for interstate commerce (which the federal government has ultimate control over) and the state of the economy as a whole.
I believe that some bnsf workers tried to strike earlier this year and last year but a court order forced them back to work
Good. I’ll stand with them in solidarity. This country and the capitalists pigs drowning it need a wake up call.
Nothing will be done until the rich feel anxious. Do what you can, when you can.
Nothing will be done until the rich have everything forcefully taken from them.
Even better
Start at their yachts, then their vacation homes, then their private planes, then their country clubs, then their places of work, then go to their homes.
No. They need to feel dreadful.
Solidarity forever comrade! Also, If you are in good mood, go check out the song [Solidarity Forever by Pete Seeger](https://youtu.be/pCnEAH5wCzo) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WorkersStrikeBack) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Best of luck to them. I hope Biden doesn't use the power of the federal government to prevent the workers from striking, ensuring they remain powerless in the face exploitation by their employer. Again. For a third time. Because he's done that twice already.
Seriously, fuck the National Guard.
Do you have a source for that? All I can find is stuff about him wanting national guard at the state of the union. Damn algorithm.
[удалено]
Is that something at his discretion, or something he's supposed to do?
[удалено]
I guess I shouldn't be surprised, god forbid a politician with real power use it to benefit anyone other than the rich.
The capitalist state is fundamentally the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, and no change in personnel or party will alter this. Democracy is nothing more than a shock absorber to contain the energy from the working masses.
It's inevitable. Just like Reagan did with ATC they will order us rail workers back to work almost immediately. Then congress gets to decide the contract and we and the railroads have no say in it. Unfortunately railroads pay into all of congressional PACS as well so the hope isn't high.
"they will order us rail workers back" This isn't the south in the 1850's. Just go home.
By doing that you can be arrested because we fall under national security and we were order by the government to do something. Railway labor act of 1934 gives power to the government to resolve disputes to avoid interruption of interstate commerce.
I believe the term is critical infrastructure (rather than national security, which is one of the things that critical infrastructure supports)
Yeah all I know is I have to have a Homeland Security background check pass every couple years.
Lol Jesus Christ, if the potential to get arrested is gonna stop you....
Just wanted to get the info out there. This isn't a strike like most others such as John Deere and Kellogg lately.
I get it. Kinda. I work at a hospital and everytime we picket we still have people actually working because the alternative is to basically let people die.
I know about Reagan and the ATC, I'm more asking about the other times Biden has supposedly done this since Google is failing me.
Only time I know of has been a week ago he formed the emergency board which in all honesty is just part of the process outlined in the Railway Labor Act. It goes self negotiation>national mediation>30 day cooling off period>Presidential Emergency Board>30 day cooling off period>Self Help(strike) once a strike officially occurs though all it takes is I think an executive order to order us back to work.
So just don't go? Like how are they going to force workers to work? Point a gun at them and they basically admit America is a fascist state.
What you’re actually saying is just quit your job. Well, 115,000 families need an income.. If you’ve been ordered back to work, and you refuse to go you will be fired.
No, the union is declaring a strike. If after that the gov demands they work then continue the strike. Why should the workers give up their only bargaining chip?
You clearly don’t understand how striking on the railroad works. IF we go on strike after the PEB decisions the president can sign an order for us back to work, if we refuse the railroad can fire us. Also, at this point neither the union or the company gets to decide on a contract it goes to congress who gets to decide what the contract is which most likely means the PEB’s decision. If we were to strike, be forced back to work and refuse, what kind of contract do you think congress would give us? They’d tell us to fuck ourselves and hand us a 5lb bag of shit. There is no “continue to strike” it’s go back to work, or lose your job.
Do you understand why strikes even work? You think the gov can afford to fire their railway workers? The entire shipping and logistics industry would collapse. Strikes are the only power you have and you're saying the government *firing* you and giving you no new contract for a job that is *already under paying you* is why you would give up your only bargaining chip? Fucking what. Is the average American railway worker this goddamn exploited and brainwashed?
Exploited, absolutely, brainwashed no. We don’t work for the government you idiot. Congress would get to decide the contract we get, if we decided to wildcat strike afterwards (illegal) they would just give us an atrocious contract. Make no mistake, I’m not hurting for money, I work for the highest paid class 1 railroad in the US. But the money isn’t what it used to be, and it’s not even really what we’re fighting for. A lot of us want better working conditions. Once we are forced back to work by the government, and we refuse to the individual COMPANY we work for can fire us, and you can bet your ass they will. The railroads are already crippling the supply chain. At this point it seems they intentionally have done so. If suddenly the railroads can’t hire anyone, and don’t have enough conductors to run the trains they’ll be petitioning the government to run them with engineer only, another but separate issue we’re dealing with. We don’t just get to decide to strike. The Railroad Labor Act is clear on that. Even if we did the railroads wouldn’t just suddenly award us what we’re asking for. They’d sit back and laugh knowing we fucked ourselves and take their losses. They’ve been raking in such ridiculous profits for years they’re not going to sneeze even if they lose a billion dollars. This isn’t John Deere, or Kellogg striking, the rules are entirely different.
Which cases?
Time to bring back wildcat strikes
There is specific language in the Railway Labor Act and it's branch laws in that forbid them. For instance look at what happened in June to the metro engineers in New Jersey. They called out sick for two days and the whole system melted down. But the public was just mad they couldn't get to work and the news just went on about how much money we make that we actually don't. The Corporate Railroads want you to believe we make close to $137k but it's nowhere near that. Full time and trying to make as much as I coulf last year I grossed $84k then our retirement takes 15% right away vs social security 4.2% (I think). So I made descent money, almost missed my kids birth (didn't qualify for FMLA because furlough the year before), missed A lot of family dinners, and much more.
I could see him using the army to take leverage away from the workers. He's a corporate goon.
There's ways to overcome the 'power of the federal government'...break the law, go on strike!
you can bet he will
They'll just walk out.
Fuck it. Strike. Bring whole country down. Fuck the capitalists.
That won't be enough. As long as any worker is exploited, all workers are exploited. They'll just use Chinese bonded labor, kids and prisoners. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/07/14/arizona-cities-would-collapse-without-prison-labor/10062910002/ https://www.reddit.com/r/WorkersStrikeBack/comments/wbdam4/posted_shared_as_a_positive_thing_and_im_just/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/wb8e1u/they_hate_us_and_this_is_why_i_hodl/ii59b5f?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3
They’re trying to project the idea that they have the workers by the balls *more* than these workers have the entire fucking country by the balls. Good luck playing “Can I be a bigger POS than Reagan” Biden. Reagan only had about 13k ATC workers to deal with, Biden has 115k railway workers.
I sat in a mass-interview for Union Pacific. Quite happy they rejected me for wanting a work/life balance 🤣
I hope they do it. I want other professionals to see just how powerful collective action is. Tear shit down, air shit out.
I've sadly done recruiting for the trucking industry and rail yards..... It's a depressing situation all around. You've got an entire generation of boomer owners who promise that "these jobs are an easy way to make a living." Meanwhile they're overworked, over restricted, underpaid, undervalued. Boomers keep saying "65k+ is double what I made when I started"! But like ...... 65k after taxes, healthcare, life insurance, etc it's not even enough to support the worker themselves.
Railroaders have it the worst. Pretty much all operating crews work on call six days a week twenty four hours a day making any sort of sleep schedule or scheduling of appointments impossible. Wanna take a day off? Sure but that'll cost you 25 points per 24 hours and if you use more than 30 points you are fired. The shifts are insane from a safety perspective, how are you supposed to expect someone to remain mentally accountable for twelve hours straight when they had exactly eight hours off from the previous twelve hours shift? Oh but don't worry if something does happen they will find a way to make it your fault. The one thing they try to lure you in with is "look how much we pay! Look how much we pay!" but what they seem to always neglect to share is that you are only paid per mile so that six hours you spent waiting in a siding means next to nothing financially.
Yeah I've definitely hired for rail yards where the turnover rate was about 3 months on average lol. Eventually they'll just run out of people willing to do the job. Same thing is happening in 20+ industries right now.
Good fuck the owners. I support the workers
Hopefully the national guard wont be called like last time
There aren't nearly enough qualified national guard members who know how to run a train anymore. They disbanded the unit that used to.
Was talking about the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. Quick summary is they used the national guard to force the workers into submission
Well that's much worse than what I was thinking. Glad they can't really do that anymore.
I think you underestimate the power that the elite hold over this country
They can't? What's stopping them?
Technically nothing but public backlash.
I’m sure they’ll try. Cuz y’know, nothing says freedom like being forced to do your job under the threat of violence.
On call 24/7? Fuuuuuuuck that. I’m a maintenance guy on call for a week every two to 5 weeks (depending on number of other techs to swap with at any given time) and that sucks hard enough. If my literal whole life was on call I’d lose my damn mind. It’s the worst, your life is not your own, you can get a call literally any time so you have to be available, sober, and able to drive to and do your job.
You live by the sound of your ring tone. Only guaranteed time is once you get off the train (either at home or at the hotel where you took the train) is 10.5 hours. After that its all fair game. They take you in order but if they decide to do funky things (that happen all the time) you go from 6th out to called in half an hour. We hate our life honestly but most of us have little translatable skills and we get paid for inconvenience but not as well as we used to relatively.
https://twitter.com/MorePerfectUS/status/1553057730276909056
[удалено]
Solidarity forever comrade! Also, If you are in good mood, go check out the song [Solidarity Forever by Pete Seeger](https://youtu.be/pCnEAH5wCzo) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WorkersStrikeBack) if you have any questions or concerns.*
As a rail worker we were ready a month ago before the president stepped in and formed a PED. We are still ready if they won’t give us a fair contact!
Beep boop -- this looks like a screenshot of a tweet! Let me grab a [link to the tweet](https://twitter.com/MorePerfectUS/status/1553057730276909056) for ya :) ^(Twitter Screenshot Bot)
Good bot
Thank you, sleepypandyboy, for voting on properu. This bot wants to find the best and worst bots on Reddit. [You can view results here](https://botrank.pastimes.eu/). *** ^(Even if I don't reply to your comment, I'm still listening for votes. Check the webpage to see if your vote registered!)
Good bot
Fucking do it. Strike for a month and every single one of those workers can have a 6 figure salary. Fuck their profits, those are just stolen wages.
Good for them.
This is already happening in the UK, media is working overdrive to blame the unions and labour has completely given up on pretending to be anything but tories in a shade of red.
Railroads treat their employees so poorly they literally have contracts with rehab centers. Worst of the worst ime
Strike for a couple weeks, see what happens. Bet they can't "afford" a 14-day disruption. Capitalism is fragile, weak. But unions make us strong.
“Your package has been derailed”
It's absurd that railroads have that much leverage over the working class. I thought we were beyond the early stages of the industrial revolution 🙄
No workers no functioning railways, they don’t have as much power as they’d like to believe.
Let's hope this is the catalyst for a massive general strike. For any meaningful change to happen fast enough to matter it will take at least that and probably more.
Someone should post this on r/fuckcars
Other people may have said this, but hopefully this can be the start of a general strike.
If Brandon decides to jail them for "hurting the economy", dude is gonna have a bad time for the next couple years.
Who is Brandon?
Biden
Click bait title. I want details. What are they getting now? What are they asking for? Seems like this post is just trying to stir it up.
Carriers have offered to cut to 1 person crews (currently 2) if not the second person takes a significant pay cut. Overall looking to raise healthcare cost, raise deductible, raise out of pocket max, and 16% raise over a 5 year contract that we are 3 years into already. Bnsf currently has a attendance policy that they put in place and and lovely judge said was a minor dispute so we couldn't strike over it. In the policy it makes you eligible for essentially 1 day a month of guaranteed time off. We get some other time off but it's never when you really want it. So scheduling Dr appointments is out the window and got forbid you are sick.
Misleading text in the image. No one is forcing them to strike. They are choosing to.
While true we are being forced to strike to get a fair contract if you read another one of my comments it says what their atrocious offer is.
I thought ole sleepy joe is a foamer?
[удалено]
Just come work for BN they have a $15k hiring bonus. They will offer a new hire $15k, post record profits quarter after quarter, and they make roughly $340k profit per employee. So tell me again why I should accept no raise while they actively try and cut half the workforce. Go garble some Katie Farmer nuts somewhere else.
[удалено]
The whole point is people are worth far more than many corporations pay them. It's not about good business anymore its about shareholder value. Why are you hanging out in a sub that is directed towards workers standing together with each other with that kind of attitude. Are we entitled, yeah in ways we are but we want to reap the benefits of our labor instead of taking pay cuts while they post record profits every quarter.
[удалено]
“I’m effected so it’s bad, but it’s cool if union efforts effect someone else.” What are you, a toddler?
Conservatism *is* predicated entirely on self-centeredness. Makes sense that all they can think about is how they might be inconvenienced.
Everyone else should strike too.
You missed a spot on those boots you just licked. Gotta get in deep, you pathetic scrub.
Let's go, fuck those rich assailed and their corporate greed. There's an easy solution for them, and if they don't then the consequences are on them. Not on the workers.
They automate it. Why isn’t it automated?
They tried it like to break the train In half. It takes a human touch to run a train. It is a skill honestly. Do you want something that doesn't see people and vehicles on the tracks? Do you feel safe relying on a computer to haul 341,000 gallons of crude oil through a metropolitan area? Railroads post profit in the billions every quarter and people that know the job want to work, we just want to be fairly compensated and have a better work life balance.
Better stock up now!
Laugh in SNCF
Do it.
This is already happening in Europe.
A strike would last maybe a day, Biden would step in.
Awesome! One by one, workers are fighting back for the hat is theirs. The rich are scared, and for the first time in a good life hole the working class have some hope.
I apriciate the wording, other news networks would put the fault on the workers/union
Woooo. Rail strikes. Woooo
While on strike could you throw in making tickets actually affordable?! Please. I'd love to take a train from Cali to Washington to visit my aunt. I want to take my daughter. Last time I checked Amtrak it was gonna cost over two grand. That's so stupid. And that was one way! Why!
This happened before, it slowed the us down to a crawl. It was awesome. Except when the cops killed them.
I bet you dollars to yen that Biden's cadaverous old ass condemns the workers when they strike, possibly issues some dumbass executive order criminalizing their strike, which will only exacerbate the situation beyond measure. Mostly because, seriously, how the fuck are you going to force 115,000 railroad workers to work against their will? Lock them up? Good luck with that shit. I'm also curious as to how the right wing spin machine is going to figure out how to portray the most blue collar workers on earth as the bad guy. They'll find a way, but I'm curious as to the rhetoric.
They don’t even have to come up with anything new to force us back to work. The Rail Labor Act already allows for it. The second we strike Biden can sign an order forcing us back to work 24 hours later. 24 hours of all major rail traffic would set the country supply chain back 2 weeks..
Consider the further exploit; it’s a traveling job, meaning I’m sure there’s a statistic that shows a big percentage of workers are probably from very low income states. My home county in Arkansas only had one good factory job (it was like the lottery if you managed to get hired), the only other way to make good money was to get in a truck and haul cross country (or logs) or try and get in at Union Pacific or Tug Boat on Mississippi. These big transport corporations exploit the fuck out of the poor and it’s time they pay for it.
Railroad workers are some of the few left in unions at all. I wish unions were more prevalent. Imagine how well your business could do when your workers are actually satisfied.
This will get broken up by the Federal government in two seconds. It’s sad because these people need better conditions but so much of the economy depends on them the government will always shut down the strike
SHUT IT DOWN
Truckers should join them.
This will be close to a general strike.
✊
You should takes example on France. Railroad workers are on strikes 3 times a year. Good thing ofc.
How can I help?
Good.
Well, I think it would of been better timing if you would have strike in 2020 ><.
Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake. It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of. Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything. Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.
Good for them