Crisis Averted…Temporarily: The Fight For Railroad Workers’ Rights

Rail workers across the country have been working in conditions that aren’t fair to them. They have no paid sick days, work long hours and aren’t paid enough. As quoted from an employee who freights trains in Idaho, “The way the railroad treats us, their opinion seems to be that our lives belong to them.” Rail worker unions, like the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees, were planning to go on strike on December 9 to bargain for improved working conditions. As they planned to go on strike, tension in Congress grew. 

The logo of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees

Presidential Intervention

Calling on Congress for a solution, President Biden stated that a nationwide railroad worker strike would “devastate our economy”. For every citizen, daily life would be disrupted as railroads are a critical part of the already strained supply chain. Especially during the holiday season, when shipping is busier than ever, prices on foods, gas and other goods would soar. Those who commute via train would face additional struggles. The strike would slow delivery and could lead to factories closing, which would cause many jobs to be lost. Factories would have no way of transporting their goods in and out of the facility, which could force them to shut down.

To dodge this major threat to the economy, Biden urged Congress to take action. Interestingly enough, Biden used to oppose congressional mediation on matters regarding labor discourse and is generally a pro-union president. However, in this case the stakes were high because if the strike happened it would cost the economy $2 billion a day. Congress took action and the Senate passed a bill to enforce a contract between the unions and management. Before President Biden signed it, he stated, “Thanks to the bill Congress passed and what I’m about to sign, we spared the country that catastrophe.”

Compromise

The bill he signed helped settle a vicious dispute between employers and railroad workers. The main issue that the unions want to fix is that they have no paid sick days off. The contract gives railroad workers a 24% increase in pay over five years. The bill also gives them one paid day off. Yet, the main problem the railroad workers face hasn’t been solved yet. They have been fighting for more paid sick days. 

Giving railroad workers seven paid sick days was discussed in Congress. The measure passed in the House, but it failed to pass in the Senate. It came close,with a ​​52 to 43 split in the Senate. Since the resolution was unable to obtain the 60 votes needed, it couldn’t be signed into law by President Biden. The union workers will receive an increase in salary and one paid sick day, but the fight goes on for more.

Not Enough

The bill has calmed down the disputes for now, and looks like it will temporarily satisfy the railroad worker unions. Most of them, at least. Eight out of twelve unions of railroad workers ratified the agreement, meaning that four unions are still dissatisfied. This bill is enough to avoid a strike, but many remain unhappy. One of the railroad worker unions expressed their remaining problems by saying “No American worker should ever have to face the decision of going to work sick, fatigued or mentally unwell versus getting disciplined or being fired by their employer, yet that is exactly what is happening every single day on this nation’s largest freight railroads.”

Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of America Unions (AFL-CIO) ’s secretary-treasurer and president respond to what has happened with a statement that voices the union's dissatisfaction and hope for the future. They state “While we are disappointed, we are not defeated”.