This is a big deal, said Railroad Department Director Al Russo, because the paid-sick-days issue, which nearly caused a nationwide shutdown of freight rail just before Christmas, had consistently been rejected by the carriers. It was not part of last December’s congressionally implemented update of the national collective bargaining agreement between the freight lines and the IBEW and 11 other railroad-related unions.
“We’re thankful that the Biden administration played the long game on sick days and stuck with us for months after Congress imposed our updated national agreement,” Russo said. “Without making a big show of it, Joe Biden and members of his administration in the Transportation and Labor departments have been working continuously to get guaranteed paid sick days for all railroad workers.
Then they could’ve rejected again, and the workers would have struck. Workers have a healthy strike fund because they don’t strike often, corporations lose a billion dollars a day… who do you think would break first? I guess we’ll never know because it is now illegal for them to strike in perpetuity because of the work that Congress did at the administrations request. They gave up their right to strike for 4 sick days, and no safety changes. Such a victory.
https://www.ibew.org/media-center/Articles/23Daily/2306/230620_IBEWandPaid
Then they could’ve rejected again, and the workers would have struck. Workers have a healthy strike fund because they don’t strike often, corporations lose a billion dollars a day… who do you think would break first? I guess we’ll never know because it is now illegal for them to strike in perpetuity because of the work that Congress did at the administrations request. They gave up their right to strike for 4 sick days, and no safety changes. Such a victory.