Well, if the new-vehicle-market hasn't enough problems in the last two years with computer-chip shortages, excessive mark-ups at dealerships, supply-problems, excessive gas prices, and the conversion of ICEs to BEVs, now comes another one....and potentially MUCH more serious. A railroad strike that shuts down freight trains nationally could truly disrupt the economy into not only a major recession but even a depression. Trains and trucks carry and deliver probably 99% of everything we buy at some point.

However, I don't want to sound hypocritical on this one. Most of you remember, a few years ago, I strongly supported the widespread UAW strike against GM, both here in the U.S., and, to a lesser extent, the UNIFOR strike against GM in Canada. That strike was over the shutdown of several different GM plants and the discontinuation of a number of GM sedans. I clearly supported the intentions of that strike, and still do today. But apples are apples, and oranges are oranges. That strike, devastating as it was specifically for GM as a company, did not really shut down large parts of the economy the way this railroad worker-strike threatens to do. So, to make it clear, while I supported that strike, I'm not sure (?) if I support this one, although the workers DO appear to have some legitimate grievances about having to work an excessive number of hours without time off to take care of other pressing needs in their lives. But their needs will also have to measured against the needs of the country...and what would happen if all railroad freight-operations were stopped.

While a strike like this, of course, could affect much of the economy in general, for the sake of this being an auto forum, the moderators will probably want us to keep discussions of it only to auto and auto-related issues.....so go to it.

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/loom...ry?id=89587287ABC News

Looming railroad strike could cripple US economy, transportation

Workers seek a new time-off policy, as companies urge them to accept a deal.

ByMax Zahn , Amanda Maile, and William Kim
September 14, 2022, 3:22 PM


1:07

US freight railroads plan to reduce service ahead of possible strike
Two of the country's largest rail unions may possibly go on a nationwide strike, which could hit consumers hard.A major railroad strike is looming that could paralyze the nation's supply chain and transportation rail service if both sides don't come to an agreement by the end of the week.

Unions said workers are seeking improvements to working conditions, accusing rail companies of penalizing workers for taking time off for medical reasons. The unions said rail companies are jeopardizing the nation's economy to force a deal.

The National Carriers' Conference Committee (NCCC), which represents the nation's freight railroads in national collective bargaining, said rail employees are provided "significant" time off and that the companies have offered a fair contract that includes a significant wage increase.

While 9 unions have reached tentative agreements, ongoing negotiations with two holdouts could lead to a strike as early as 12:01 a.m. on Friday, as the cooling-off period under the Railway Labor Act ends and strikes become legal.

Labor Secretary Marty Walsh is meeting with rail company officials and union leaders on Wednesday to help them reach an agreement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday.



Marty Walsh, US secretary of labor, speaks during the SelectUSA Investment Summit in National Harbor, Md., June 28, 2022.
Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILEThe two holdout unions — the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers Trainmen, or BLET, and the SMART Transportation Division, or SMART-TD, represent 57,000 engineers and conductors, who make up roughly half of all rail workers.

Approximately 4,900 rail workers with a third holdout union -- the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 19 -- turned down a deal with the NCCC and will strike in two weeks should an agreement not be reached with rail companies, the union said Wednesday."The artery of the US economy is the rail system. It's one of the ways we get everything around. One third of everything gets around this way. And when you cut it, you have a stroke," Diane Swonk, chief economist at global tax firm KPMG, said in an interview with ABC News.

A potential strike could lead to $2 billion a day in lost economic output, according to the Association of American Railroads, which lobbies on behalf of rail companies. Freight railroads are responsible for carrying 40% of the nation's long-haul freight and a work stoppage could jeopardize these shipments.

"The railroads are using shippers, consumers and the supply chain of our nation as pawns in an effort to get our Unions to cave into their contract demands knowing that our members would never accept them," BLET and SMART-TD said in a joint statement on Sunday.

The NCCC urged the unions to accept a deal.

"It is critical that the remaining unions promptly reach agreements that provide pay increases to employees and prevent rail service disruptions," the NCCC said in a statement on Tuesday.

The potential impact for Americans

Should a strike happen, Americans will feel the effects in their wallets, Swonk said.

"It means everything from the potential for layoffs -- at the same time that prices are going to continue to rise and you're going to see more empty shelves in your store," Swonk said.

Rail is critical to the entire goods side of the economy, including manufacturing, warehousing, retail and agriculture. According to economist Mark Zandi, if there is a rail strike of more than three to four weeks, prices of goods, which have come down from a June peak as supply chain stresses ease and help to bring down inflation, would likely jump again, further exacerbating inflation.

"We already have an economy that's slowing and inflation that's persistently high -- that's a bad situation to be in. To add this extra layer where we could see an acceleration in some prices and an inability to get some goods entirely because they're no longer available, that's a very, very bad place to be," Swonk said.

In recent days, urgent calls for a resolution have come from trade groups representing manufacturers, retailers, oil companies and even beer sellers.

Amtrak announced Wednesday it will cancel all long-distance trains starting Thursday, as the negotiations continue and the Friday deadline to avoid a strike nears.

While Amtrak and its workforce are not involved in negotiations, it had already begun "phased adjustments" to its service in preparation for a possible freight rail service interruption.

The company said such an interruption "could significantly impact intercity passenger rail service."

Talks between unions and rail companies ongoing

Unions still at the table are continuing to call for better time-off policies for their workers. And as the Friday deadline looms, government officials are stepping in.

The railroad companies routinely penalize workers for taking time off for sickness or a doctor's appointment, BLET and SMART-TD said in a statement on Sunday.

"No working-class American should be treated with this level of harassment in the workplace for simply becoming ill or going to a routine medical visit," the unions said.

The unions said these policies have forced "thousands of employees" out of the industry and make it "impossible" to recruit new workers.



A freight train with BNSF locomotives traverses a grade crossing along a CSX line Aug. 26, 2022, near Albion, Ind.
David Boe/AP, FILEA presidential emergency board, assembled last month by the Biden administration, issued recommendations for a compromise between the unions and rail companies. The recommendations included a 24% raise from 2020 to 2024 and bonus increases, but they omitted the union's demand for a new time-off policy."Rail employees are provided with significant time off," the NCCC says on its website. "The unions proposed that the PEB recommend additional paid sick time, and the operating craft unions also proposed that the railroads' existing attendance policies be voided until new ones that must be negotiated with the unions can be reached."

"The PEB, however, recognized that the railroads' rights to unilaterally establish and modify reasonable attendance policies has been acknowledged for years," the NCCC said.

The IAM District 19 union, which rejected a tentative agreement with the NCCC, agreed to push its strike to Sept 29 "out of respect for other unions in the ratification process."

President Joe Biden called both union and rail company officials Monday, Jean-Pierre said.

"We have made crystal clear to the interested parties the harm that American families and businesses and farmers and communities would experience if they were not to reach a resolution," Jean-Pierre told reporters.

A Department of Labor spokesperson said, "Secretary Walsh continues to lead discussions at the Department of Labor between the rail companies and unions. The parties are negotiating in good faith and have committed to staying at the table today."

House Democrats on Wednesday expressed cautious optimism that negotiators will reach agreement to prevent a nationwide railway strike.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters that members of Congress and the White House are heavily involved in the talks and attributed the current disagreement with unions to the lack of sick leave for railway workers.

But she and other Democratic leaders stopped short of calling for Congress to pass a bill -- they want the negotiations to work themselves out.

Republican Sens. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Richard Burr of North Carolina introduced a resolution Monday that would end any potential strike and impose the recommendations of the PEB.

 

All these folks have a moral obligation to work out their differences— this strike will crush the supply chain, and not just for cars.

 

Slavery is immoral. You can't compel labor, if they aren't being paid enough they don't have to work.

 

The main issues seem to be more the working conditions and lack of time off than the actual pay itself.

 

Atlas Shrugged.

 

they can quit. they don't need to bring down the supply chain as a negotiating tactic. thankfully, it looks like there's a resolution.

 

Yeah I realize that but if pay was 2x I'm sure it would be way less of an issue since it would attract people who didn't care and wanted the money. It may not work for the people currently in this complaint but it would at least allow replacement with people who it would work for

 

Speaking of moral obligations:


I honestly thought that this was for granted.

 

I have no issue if the railroad union strikes. They need better working conditions as it is.

 

From what I understand, the workforce/union position here was entirely justified. Regardless, it appears a probable deal has been reached.

 

glad a resolution was reached. i still receive emails from my rail line who i used to commute to work on before the pandemic and saw some looming shutdowns if this didn't resolve by this week.

 

what exactly do 'conductors' do on today's trains?
and why do trains still need 'drivers' when they're on rails for goodness sakes, and have signals everywhere.

 

I guess you don't like it when the shoe is on the other foot? Maybe the owners have a moral obligation to allow people to go to a Doctor's appt during the day. Heck, the workers aren't even asking to be paid.

Honor labor.

 

Conductors traditionally announced the station-stops, collected tickets, and kept order in the passenger cars. Perhaps those duties are less-important or less-widespread today, but there is still some need for them.


Simple. You need engineers on trains because, First, in an emergency, they can't stop in a couple of hundred feet like cars do...it might take a mile or more from higher speeds. Second, there's still no substitute for human eyes and ears for some things, and, Third, someone still has to be responsible for the train's safety and operation.

This is even more important, because, decades ago, the railroads got rid of the manned cabooses in back...now all you have is freight cars all the way back. The engineer, today, is sometimes the only person on the train's crew.....unless a trainee (no pun intended) is riding along to learn how to be an engineer.

 

I didn't say the "workers" had a moral obligation. All parties involved had a moral obligation to come to a fair resolution without further impacting the economy ... and they did.