Weekly Digest Number 20 - May 16th, 2023 |
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Welcome to the RWU Rail & Labor News! This news bulletin is produced and emailed out each Tuesday morning. We hope you find each week's news and information useful. If so, please share with co-workers, friends, and colleagues. If you like, you can sign them up to get all the news from RWU HERE. Or forward them the link. Note: If you read over this news bulletin each week, you will be sure to never miss the important news of what is going on in the railroad world from a worker's perspective!
NOTE: After 4 years, we are changing formats as of this issue of the Rail & Labor News from RWU. We are streamlining the structure. Each article will continue to be prefaced with an Editor's Note (if there is one), along with the article title hyper-linked to the article, plus the author, date, and subtitle, together with an image for each of the selected articles for the week. Hope you like it!
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(Editor's Note: It is good to see a rail union make the case that harsh sick leave policies suck for all workers, but they are even worse for certain members of the workforce and the union. We all need to unite and fight to rid the workplace of the scourge of draconian attendance policies.) |
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Sister Jennifer Ross knows that struggle. She courageously shares her story here in the hopes that it inspires other working parents – both mothers and fathers – to join us as we continue our fight to obtain paid sick leave.
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(Editor's Note: Rail workers have been feeling the effects of so-called sequestration for over a decade now due to the debt ceiling debacle.) |
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Reductions in unemployment and sick benefits have kicked in due to a Congress-imposed agreement, even as Washington tries shore up shaky relations with railroad labor
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(Editor's Note: The carriers are only negotiating sick leave with their unions because they fear it being legislated. But yes, exactly what are they extracting from the workforce in exchange for it?) |
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May 8, 2023 at 11:44 AM PDT
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(Editor's Note: Politicians of all political persuasions are making noise about reining in the Class One carriers. Rail labor and the American people will no doubt get something out of all of this hubbub. The question is whether it will be substantial change, or simply crumbs.) |
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"It's time to finally hold Norfolk Southern and the big rail companies accountable for the harm they have caused in East Palestine and Darlington Township, and the harm they continue to cause with this dangerous, reckless, and selfish behavior."
Brett Wilkins May 11th, 2013
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(Editor's Note: Every time a hand-operated main track is incorrectly left in the wrong position, FRA issues "advisories." The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) after the Graniteville, SC wreck in 2005 issued its non-binding recommendations that would have forever prevented such wrecks, including the most recent one in April in Chico, Texas, by use of a simple track circuit technology called "switch point indicators." The NTSB Report issued in November 2005, anticipating that the rail industry would balk at this (which of course it did) suggested an alternative - the issuance of a track bulletin order to the first train to operate over such a recently operated switch prepared to stop until the crew verifies it to be lined correctly. The industry balked at that as well. So much for a corporate commitment to safety. And we have one more needless train wreck.)
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(Editor's Note: RWU friends and allies in the Truckers' Movement for Justice staged their rally in Washington, DC in protest of harsh working conditions in the trucking industry. RWU works closely with TMJ and other organizations of logistics workers across the supply chain, building solidarity and unity between all transport workers.) |
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Drivers call for federal action to address what they say are decreasing pay and rampant fraud
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(Editor's Note: While this rail safety bill moves forward in the U.S. Senate, RWU has serious reservations about its effectiveness. While its passage would certainly be better than the status quo, too may key provisions allow for loopholes, waivers, studies, and deferments that kick the rulemaking to the DOT and FRA to decide at some point in the future, allowing the rail industry plenty of time to coax, cajole, lobby and otherwise pressure for a more industry friendly rule, and hopes for a more industry friendly administration.) |
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Costs of regulatory compliance, issue with train crew size among sticking points
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Five workers were taken to area hospitals Friday after an incident involving Amtrak equipment and personnel near a Commuter Rail station in Boston's Hyde Park.
May 12th, 2023
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(Editor's Note: This contract appears to emulate the others at Amtrak, including provisions for paid time off for parental leave, advances in vacation leave, MLK holiday provisions and more. The only unions at Amtrak without a contract/tentative contract now are apparently the operating crafts.) |
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May 9th, 2023
Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen members have ratified a seven-year contract with Amtrak, the union announced last week. The agreement was reached after nearly 18 months of negotiations, BRS officials said in a press release.
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(Editor's Note: Hopefully this will assist numerous states to move forward with passenger rail development.) |
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May 9, 2023
Agency offers $5.8 million under Interstate Rail Compact Program
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(Editor's Note: The gist of what Brother Aaron is saying in this commentary below was once expressed by the great union organizer Eugene V Debs: "“We need to have faith in each other. We are in precisely the same position. We depend absolutely on each other. We know that without solidarity, nothing is possible, and that with solidarity, nothing is impossible.” Read on, brothers and sisters. ) |
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Class-Struggle Unionism, Opinion and Commentary, Rank and File Unionism, Union Membership
By: Cory Aaron, BMWED Local 0745 May 7, 2023
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(Editor's Note: The beleaugured passenger carrier in Canada is bouncing back, more than doubling its ridership from 2021. Like Amtrak, VIA has the potential to grow and expand dramatically, but faces vast hurdles from the privately owned freight infrastructure.) |
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(Editor's Note: Like safety, the carriers love to preach diversity, equity, respect blah blah blah .. until it comes time to actually practicing it.) |
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She cites her recent gender transition
Josh Funk, Associated Press May 9th, 2023
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Weekly Derailment Department |
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