Railway strike coming 9/12

[Landslide]

 

[AKnate]

“The railroad has brought its labor woes on itself,” said a labor insider with knowledge of the negotiations. “They have made steep staffing cuts to appease shareholders and improve their bottom line. Workers are burned out. You have heard from the railroads they are hiring but they are not retaining talent because of the point system where you are on call for 12 hours a day and you have to be an hour or less away from your job. They are being held hostage.”

This is true here. My buddy worked for the AK RR for 6-7 years. There were many days that he'd just get in bed after a 14-16hr day and they'd be calling to have in come in. He lives almost 1.5 hours away. And if you didn't, you were viewed as not being a "company man" and given shit work and shifts.

Allegedly short staffed, but then they wouldn't hire anyone. They plod through the hiring process so slowly it's ridiculous. It can take a year to get hired from application acceptance.

I interviewed twice with them for apprentice jobs. They never hired anyone from either hiring period. It took them over 6 months to let me know I hadn't been picked for that round, but wanted me to come in for yet another interview. I had already been working another job for a few months by then.
Figured if they wouldn't hire me with the head foreman being a 2w071 (what I did in the USAF) and my buddy being a foreman that wrote up a recommendation for me, it wasn't happening.
Glad I didn't get hired in the end. My buddy got tired of the b/s and really let me know what was going on there. A place can only work people hard for so long before mistakes start happening.

 

[CJF]

apparently BNSF just had a head on crash with one of their remote operating locomotives.

I call bullshit.

When/where?

 

[bigun]

“The railroad has brought its labor woes on itself,” said a labor insider with knowledge of the negotiations. “They have made steep staffing cuts to appease shareholders and improve their bottom line. Workers are burned out. You have heard from the railroads they are hiring but they are not retaining talent because of the point system where you are on call for 12 hours a day and you have to be an hour or less away from your job. They are being held hostage.”

This is true here. My buddy worked for the AK RR for 6-7 years. There were many days that he'd just get in bed after a 14-16hr day and they'd be calling to have in come in. He lives almost 1.5 hours away. And if you didn't, you were viewed as not being a "company man" and given shit work and shifts.

Allegedly short staffed, but then they wouldn't hire anyone. They plod through the hiring process so slowly it's ridiculous. It can take a year to get hired from application acceptance.

I interviewed twice with them for apprentice jobs. They never hired anyone from either hiring period. It took them over 6 months to let me know I hadn't been picked for that round, but wanted me to come in for yet another interview. I had already been working another job for a few months by then.
Figured if they wouldn't hire me with the head foreman being a 2w071 (what I did in the USAF) and my buddy being a foreman that wrote up a recommendation for me, it wasn't happening.
Glad I didn't get hired in the end. My buddy got tired of the b/s and really let me know what was going on there. A place can only work people hard for so long before mistakes start happening.

When the job ended in 2010 the other foreman and I decided to spend sometime going to school at the hall, one of the classes we took was a welding class, the instructor worked for BNSF and let us know thet they were hiring electricians so both of us applied he got on right away. I tried several times even took a trip to NE for an interview finally figured out they didn't want any 50+ year olds they wanted young bucks who would work for them 30 or 40 years

 

[Roc Doc]

did they strike?

Did you read?

 

[Sceep]

I call bullshit.

When/where?

Look up 2 posts FFS.

 

[bigun]

I call bullshit.

When/where?

Radio controlled unit was in the middle not the lead loco

 

[CJF]

Look up 2 posts FFS.

You mean actually read the thread?

 

[CJF]

Radio controlled unit was in the middle not the lead loco

Ah. That's why I couldn't find it. Remote non-lead units have been common for quite a while now, yes?

 

[bigun]

Ah. That's why I couldn't find it. Remote non-lead units have been common for quite a while now, yes?

Yes

 

[SomeGuyFromOlympia]

“The railroad has brought its labor woes on itself,” said a labor insider with knowledge of the negotiations. “They have made steep staffing cuts to appease shareholders and improve their bottom line. Workers are burned out. You have heard from the railroads they are hiring but they are not retaining talent because of the point system where you are on call for 12 hours a day and you have to be an hour or less away from your job. They are being held hostage.”

This is true here. My buddy worked for the AK RR for 6-7 years. There were many days that he'd just get in bed after a 14-16hr day and they'd be calling to have in come in. He lives almost 1.5 hours away. And if you didn't, you were viewed as not being a "company man" and given shit work and shifts.

Allegedly short staffed, but then they wouldn't hire anyone. They plod through the hiring process so slowly it's ridiculous. It can take a year to get hired from application acceptance.

I interviewed twice with them for apprentice jobs. They never hired anyone from either hiring period. It took them over 6 months to let me know I hadn't been picked for that round, but wanted me to come in for yet another interview. I had already been working another job for a few months by then.
Figured if they wouldn't hire me with the head foreman being a 2w071 (what I did in the USAF) and my buddy being a foreman that wrote up a recommendation for me, it wasn't happening.
Glad I didn't get hired in the end. My buddy got tired of the b/s and really let me know what was going on there. A place can only work people hard for so long before mistakes start happening.

that is a lot of opinion for someone that had to make a thread on how to store a washing machine

 

[AKnate]

that is a lot of opinion for someone that had to make a thread on how to store a washing machine

There's no opinion in that, it's what happened.

Post was to discuss it. I called the appliance store to ask them and was told "we don't know", maybe call a repair shop. Repair shops wouldn't answer calls.
I'm not a washing machine expert, have no idea what's under the hood that could hold water.

 

[clodhopper]

I'm not a washing machine expert, have no idea what's under the hood that could hold water.

Quoted for posterity. Posted on a site full of mechanics and fabricators that could damn near fabricobble a nuclear plant (if the damn Iranians would come through on that yellowcake deal, anyway), and certainly are more likely to just pull the cover and look for pumps and low spots holding water than admit they made a phone call to ask such a question.

 

[AKnate]

Quoted for posterity. Posted on a site full of mechanics and fabricators that could damn near fabricobble a nuclear plant (if the damn Iranians would come through on that yellowcake deal, anyway), and certainly are more likely to just pull the cover and look for pumps and low spots holding water than admit they made a phone call to ask such a question.

I don't have much time to fawk with it, have a ton of stuff to knock out on my R&R before winter hits. Next R&R will likely be snow by then. So was trying to do a bit of figuring out for when I get home I can knock it out.

 

[Thumping]

So have we determined if they will actually strike or not?

If it's been answered, I must have missed it.

 

[dave_dj1]

Replace em with workers from China.

Not like it hasn't been done before.

How about all those "refugees" coming in the southern border?

 

[clodhopper]

I don't have much time to fawk with it, have a ton of stuff to knock out on my R&R before winter hits. Next R&R will likely be snow by then. So was trying to do a bit of figuring out for when I get home I can knock it out.

Then dont fawk with it and cross your fingers. It might work next spring or it wont.

 

[Ghetto Fab.]

Around here they eliminated the crew base in San Luis Obispo. Instead they'd rather bus crews over from bakersfield, or bus them back to their home terminal LA or San Jose area. UP has scared off almost all the freight traffic off the coast line. The only trains that pass by our house now are the northbound coast starlight and the southbound coast starlight. Its apparently gotten so bad that some of the crossing gates are having sensor issues due to rust buildup and the pass trains aren't heavy enough to knock it off.

Railroads have a lot of parrallels with trucking and HOS rules, except in trucking the driver is in charge of the truck and can more or less do as he sees fit within reason. If there is an accident ahead, he can possibly find a route around it, stop when he needs to get fuel whatever. Not so in railroading. When somethings fucked up you just have to sit and wait it out. Your completely controlled by the company.

 

[DRTDEVL]

So have we determined if they will actually strike or not?

If it's been answered, I must have missed it.

Cooling off period doesn't expire until the 16th...

 

[bigun]

Interesting write up

What a railroad strike would mean - The Hustle

A railroad strike would cause shortages, shutdowns, and high prices. It’d also cost the US economy $2B per day.

thehustle.co

What a railroad strike would mean​

A railroad strike would cause shortages, shutdowns, and high prices. It’d also cost the US economy $2B per day.​

Juliet Bennett Rylah
September 13, 2022
About 40% of long-distance shipping in the US is by train. Which is why a railroad strike that could begin as soon as Friday could have serious consequences across the country.
As of Monday, neither the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) nor the SMART Transportation Division (SMART TD), had reached an agreement with carriers, per CNBC.
They represent about half of railroad union workers.

What do they want?​

What everyone wants: time off.

• Some railroads use a points-based attendance system that labor reps say puts workers on call for 12 hours a day and penalizes them for sick or vacation days.

Railroad reps argue the system is necessary to combat staffing shortages, but labor reps counter that carriers have laid off workers to cut costs.
The US Surface Transportation Board notes that the largest carriers by revenue have reduced staff by 29% over the last six years.

What would happen?​

A strike would:

• Shut down ~7k daily trains
• Cause shortages, shutdowns, and price hikes across sectors. That includes food: railroads transport 20% of all grain and half of fertilizer.
• Cost the economy ~$2B per day

Trucks can’t help. It’d take an extra 460k+ of them a day, which the American Trucking Associations says is “not possible” — that industry is short ~80k drivers.

Federal officials…​

… are holding emergency meetings to prepare, per The Washington Post, and there is precedence for government intervention.
Back in 1992, Congress passed a bill to end a railroad strike after just two days

 

[bigun]

Railroads halt shipments of crops, fertilizer

As the rail strike threat heightens, railroads phase out shipments of farm products and other key goods

www.farmprogress.com

Railroads halt shipments of crops, fertilizer​

Getty/James_Gabbert

As the rail strike threat heightens, railroads phase out shipments of farm products and other key goods
Bloomberg | Sep 14, 2022

By Kim Chipman and Ryan Beene
U.S. railroads are poised to stop shipments of farm products and other key goods starting Thursday as the industry braces for a possible labor strike that could cost the world’s biggest economy more than $2 billion a day.
Related: Railroads work to avoid strike
Norfolk Southern Corp. said it plans to halt unit train shipments of bulk commodities on Thursday ahead of a potential U.S. rail worker strike the following day. The railroad also said it would stop accepting autos for transit at its facilities starting Wednesday afternoon. Other railways are likely to follow suit, according to one agriculture group.
“We are hearing several rail carriers are tentatively planning to wind down shipments,” said Max Fisher, chief economist at the National Grain and Feed Association, which represents most U.S. grain handlers.

By Kim Chipman and Ryan Beene

U.S. railroads are poised to stop shipments of farm products and other key goods starting Thursday as the industry braces for a possible labor strike that could cost the world’s biggest economy more than $2 billion a day.

Related: Railroads work to avoid strike

Norfolk Southern Corp. said it plans to halt unit train shipments of bulk commodities on Thursday ahead of a potential U.S. rail worker strike the following day. The railroad also said it would stop accepting autos for transit at its facilities starting Wednesday afternoon. Other railways are likely to follow suit, according to one agriculture group.

“We are hearing several rail carriers are tentatively planning to wind down shipments,” said Max Fisher, chief economist at the National Grain and Feed Association, which represents most U.S. grain handlers.

A halt to shipments of grains, fertilizer, fuel and other crucial items threatens to hobble the U.S. economy at a time of rampant inflation and fear of a prolonged global economic slump. Food-supply chains are especially at risk as farmers are gearing up for harvest and need to get their supplies to customers. Crops are especially in high demand due to shortages from the war in Ukraine and weather woes across the globe.

“Our members rely on about 27 million bushels of corn and 11 million bushels of soybean meal every week to feed their chickens,” said Tom Super of the National Chicken Council. “Much of that is moved by rail.”

Norfolk Southern intends to cease taking vehicle deliveries for transit as of 5 p.m. local time Wednesday and close its intermodal gates as well at that time, the Virginia-based railway said in a notice.

Representatives for BNSF Railway Co. and Union Pacific Corp. also signaled they were prepared to curtail service as the deadline looms. “We must take actions to prepare for the eventuality of a labor strike if the remaining unions cannot come to an agreement,” BNSF said in a statement.

The halting of cargoes by some railways is aimed at ensuring crews aren’t stranded if a work stoppage occurs Friday morning, Fisher said. Reuters earlier reported on the plan.

With November midterm elections less than two months away, Democratic President Joe Biden is personally trying to break the logjam between industry and labor unions. The White House has started crafting contingency plans to ensure critical materials can reach consumers in the event of a work stoppage, a sign negotiations still have a long way to go.

U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh plans to meet with railroad and union representatives in Washington on Wednesday morning, a spokesperson for the department said.

Fertilizer, plastics​

Railways are no longer shipping ammonia, an important component of about three quarters of all fertilizer, because it would be dangerous if the hazardous material was stranded during a potential rail strike, according to the Association of American Railroads. Ammonia is used in explosives as well as being an essential nutrient for plants.

A halt to rail shipments of ethanol threatens to reverse the recent slide in U.S. gasoline pump prices from a record high. Almost three-quarters of the nation’s supply is moved on trains, mostly from Midwest plants -- where corn is made into the fuel additive -- to the East and West Coasts for blending into gasoline.

The petrochemical industry may be forced to slow down production at plants that churn out plastics and other products needed in industries across the U.S. if shipments of key hazardous chemicals necessary are delayed for an extended time.

“Once available storage is full the plants would have to cut rates,” Robert Stier, senior petrochemicals analyst at S&P Global Commodity Insights, said in an email. “These hazardous materials are the first products impacted. These are difficult to ship by any other means than specialized rail cars.”

© 2022 Bloomberg L.P.

 

[Motorcharge]

What's the logic behind stopping ahead of a possible strike? Sounds like it's just telling the union to go ahead and strike.

 

[bigun]

What's the logic behind stopping ahead of a possible strike? Sounds like it's just telling the union to go ahead and strike.

Think about it, cars full of rotting grain, fertilizer that when it gets wet turn to a solid sitting in a rail yard. A train load of new cars sitting on a siding how long before the animals are out destroying them?

 

[Thumping]

What's the logic behind stopping ahead of a possible strike? Sounds like it's just telling the union to go ahead and strike.

Preemptive strike?

 

[bigun]

Amtrak suspends some long haul routes ahead of potential freight rail strike | CNN Business

Amtrak announced Monday that it is preemptively suspending service on some of its long range routes, mostly out of Chicago, due to a looming freight rail strike.

www.cnn.com

Amtrak suspends some long haul routes ahead of potential freight rail strike​

By Ross Levitt and Chris Isidore, CNN
Published 5:44 PM EDT, Mon September 12, 2022

Amtrak coaches and locomotives sit in a yard as a locomotive backs four coaches, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Boe)
David Boe/AP/FILE
CNN —
Amtrak announced Monday that it is preemptively suspending service on some of its long range routes, mostly out of Chicago, due to a looming freight rail strike.
“Amtrak is closely monitoring the ongoing freight rail – rail labor contract negotiations. The negotiations do not involve Amtrak or the Amtrak workforce. While we are hopeful that parties will reach a resolution, Amtrak has now begun phased adjustments to our service in preparation for a possible freight rail service interruption later this week,” Amtrak said in a statement.
Among the routes being suspended are long distance routes from Chicago to Los Angeles, Chicago to Seattle, Chicago to San Francisco and a portion of one of its routes that runs from Los Angeles to San Antonio.
Amtrak calls these “initial adjustments” and says it “could be followed by impacts to all Long Distance and most State-Supported routes.”


America is already feeling the consequences of a looming nationwide rail strike
The labor dispute that could lead to the first national railroad strike in 30 years could begin as soon as this Friday. About 60,000 union members who work for the railroad are set to go on strike, including the engineers and conductors who make up the two-person crews on each train. Even though 45,000 other union members belong to unions that have reached tentative deals with the railroads, a strike by engineers and conductors would bring the freight rail system, which carries nearly 30% of the nation’s freight, to a grinding halt.
Amtrak says a strike would “significantly impact” 21,000 route miles that it operates outside of the northeast. In the northeast, where Amtrak owns the tracks, the impacts would be more minimal. Its high-speed Acela service, for instance, would not be impacted, but it says a “small number” of its Northeast Regional departures would be.


Biden and Cabinet officials in touch with rail companies and unions as threat of strike looms
Amtrak owns and maintain about 700 miles of track, primarily in the Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington. But virtually all the remaining 97% of Amtrak’s nearly 22,000-mile system is on tracks owned and maintained by freight railroads, according to the Association of American Railroads.
CNN’s Vanessa Yurkevich contributed.

 

[bigun]

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/railroad-contract-talks/2022/09/13/id/1087327/?ns_mail_uid=650dae5b-af45-421a-8e8c-135f670729b1&ns_mail_job=DM375679_09142022&s=acs&dkt_nbr=010504dymh60

Businesses, White House Plan for Possible Rail Strike Friday​

(Dreamstime)
Tuesday, 13 September 2022 07:20 PM EDT




Comment|
Print|
A A



Business and government officials are bracing for the possibility of a nationwide rail strike at the end of this week while talks carry on between the largest U.S. freight railroads and their unions.
The railroads have already started to curtail shipments of hazardous materials and have announced plans to stop hauling refrigerated products ahead of Friday's strike deadline. Now businesses that rely on Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX, Kansas City Southern and other railroads to deliver their raw materials and finished products have started planning for the worst.
Meanwhile, Biden administration officials are scrambling to develop a plan to use trucks, ships and planes to try to keep the most crucial chemicals and other goods moving if the railroads stop rolling. But the White House is also keeping the pressure on the two sides to settle their differences, and a growing number of business groups are lobbying Congress to be prepared to intervene and block a strike if they can't reach an agreement.
“We have made crystal clear to the interested parties the harm that American families, business and farmers and communities would experience if they were not to reach a resolution,” White House press secretary Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. She said a shutdown is “not acceptable.”
In addition to all the businesses that rely on railroads to deliver their goods, passenger railroads are also affected because many of them operate on tracks owned by one of the freight railroads. Amtrak has already cancelled several of its long-distance trains because there wouldn’t be enough time for them to reach their destinations before a strike or lockout would be allowed to begin at 12:01 a.m. Friday.
Amtrak already suspended its California Zephyr and Empire Builder lines that run from Chicago to the West Coast, and starting Wednesday it will stop running its City of New Orleans, Starlight and Texas Eagle lines along with several others.
Commuter railroads would also be affected. In Chicago, Metra warned its riders that it wouldn’t be able to run most of its trains if there is a strike.

The railroads have reached tentative agreements with most of their unions, including a ninth deal announced Tuesday, based on the recommendations of a Presidential Emergency Board Joe Biden appointed this summer that called for 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses in a five-year deal that’s retroactive to 2020. The deal also includes one additional paid leave day a year and higher health insurance costs.

But all 12 railroad unions must agree to prevent a strike. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union that represents engineers, and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers union that represents conductors want the railroads to address some of their concerns about unpredictable work schedules and strict attendance rules in addition to agreeing to the recommended wage increases.

Ron Kaminkow, general secretary of the Railroad Workers United labor coalition that includes workers from a variety of railroad unions, said he doesn't think the unions are demanding much at this point — just the kind of things most U.S. workers already enjoy like the ability to take time off without being penalized.

“We have attendance policies that have gotten more and more and more draconian. That offer very, very little leeway for workers who need to take time off for doctor’s appointments, for time with family, to be rested,” Kaminkow said.

Starting Monday, all the major railroads put a hold on shipments of hazardous materials to ensure those dangerous chemicals wouldn't be stranded along the tracks if there is a strike. Norfolk Southern told its customers that it will also stop accepting shipments of intermodal containers full of goods starting Wednesday evening as it prepares “for a controlled shutdown of the network.”

Some businesses would likely be affected more than others by a rail shutdown. For instance, nearly all ethanol and coal and most grain moves by rail.

 

[Void_of_Light]

Good thing we don't rely on trains to transport vast quantities of oil around the country.

"“We have attendance policies that have gotten more and more and more draconian. That offer very, very little leeway for workers who need to take time off for doctor’s appointments, for time with family, to be rested,” Kaminkow said."

My wife's school is doing this. They have a perfect attendance stipend and it doesn't include any exceptions. If she uses 1 day of vacation she loses $500.

 

[Thefishguy77]

Cooling off period doesn't expire until the 16th...

This friday morning at 12:01 is when they would go on strike. If it happens.

 

[Slander]

Seems like an easy way to fix this, adjust their retarded ass attendance and on call policy. Added bonus is people may actually want to pursue that career and that would fix thier manpower issues. So stupid.

 

[clodhopper]

Good thing we don't rely on trains to transport vast quantities of oil around the country.

"“We have attendance policies that have gotten more and more and more draconian. That offer very, very little leeway for workers who need to take time off for doctor’s appointments, for time with family, to be rested,” Kaminkow said."

My wife's school is doing this. They have a perfect attendance stipend and it doesn't include any exceptions. If she uses 1 day of vacation she loses $500.

Is it that she loses a $500 incentive or is she docked $500 from normal pay? Isnt the latter against fed law?