Fogdog
Well-Known Member
Not getting everything they wanted does not make for a bad deal.I support the right to negotiate a collective agreement that all parties agree to, and unfortunately that didn't happen in this scenario. There will never be a good time for job action, whether it's a strike or a lockout, as parties not involved will always be negatively affected, and the poor will always be hardest hit.
Management is already over working the employees by all accounts, they don't even deny that from what I have read. They could fire an employee if they got stuck in a hospital before the recent changes. Management doesn't give any fucks about the moral high ground, labour is nothing more than a tool to produce money from. That's capitalism baby, and that's why the market should set the price for labour and not forced by government intervention.
In my opinion, Biden making a statement that he supports the unions position without any action following his statement will only cause further resentment towards him and his administration. Wouldn't take much from him to force changes, maybe bring up the threat of a maximum number of hours a week the RR employee would be allowed to work,,, for the safety of the RR system overall.
All of the new agreements increase wages by 24 percent during the five-year period from 2020 through 2024, with a 14.1 wage percent increase effective immediately. The agreements also include five $1,000 annual lump sum payments, adjustments to health care premiums, and health benefit enhancements, and an additional personal leave day for all employees. A portion of the wage increases and lump sum payments are retroactive, resulting in more than $11,000 on average in immediate payouts to employees.
The wage increases in the new agreements are the most substantial in decades – with average rail worker wages reaching about $110,000 per year by the end of the agreement. When health care, retirement, and other benefits are considered, the value of rail employees’ total compensation package, which already ranks among the highest in the nation, would average about $160,000 per year.
BARGAINING STATUS FAQ – DECEMBER 2022 - NRLC
Updated Dec. 5, 2022 Go to news about the latest bargaining round Q: ...
raillaborfacts.org
By 2024, those workers will be making 110,000/year on average. The agreement wins concessions that removes penalties for missing time due to an illness or medical emergency. Rail employees receive up to five weeks of vacation in addition to up to 14 paid holidays and/or paid leave days (all depending on craft and seniority). They also participate in a carrier-funded federal sickness benefit program, and many have access to other benefits under existing labor agreements. What they are getting is a good deal. What they now have is called flexible time off -- they can take time off without penalty by taking time off within the flexible time off limits.
As seen by employment statistics, while other jobs have been going unfilled, there are an abundance of people applying for rail worker positions relative to openings. That faq say 42:1
Sometimes one has to accept winning and move on.