The engineers and conductors who drive the nation's freight trains have had it. They're tired of unpredictable, inflexible work schedules. They're tired of being penalized for taking days off when they're sick or tending to a family emergency. They want a better quality of life.
The survey was conducted by Railroad Workers United, an umbrella organization that stretches across the freight rail industry’s multiple unions, 13 of which are involved in contract talks with most of the nation’s largest freight rail carriers.
After a year of contract negotiations in which Kaiser has rejected proposals aimed at increasing staffing and improving access to care, they’re on their first ever open-ended strike.
Two key issues for the workers, all members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, have been the subject of negotiation: wage increases and the union’s demand to increase the time therapists spend on tasks other than seeing patients.
The railroads and their unions have been embroiled in a contract dispute since January 2020, with wages and health care benefits being major sticking points. Unless the White House acts, either party is free to exercise “self-help” options — including a strike that could occur as early as 12:01 a.m. next Monday.
Workers at the Kroger-owned supermarket chain King Soopers were recently on strike — a public relations nightmare. The solution? Enlist Beltway spin doctors to talk about how wonderfully the company treats its employees, actually.
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