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Massive rail strike next week could deal another blow to America's economy

White said:
Always been my issue with the IBT. Not much more than another group of managers telling me what’s good for me. But I agree with Triplex, members need to be more involved. In the workplace and at the hall. Solidarity is the key and it seems as outdated as chivalry, honesty; morality in general.
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I tried meetings. I'd go. They've limited the freight jobs so I ended up almost an hour away from the Hall.
You go.
They go over last months business which was nothing.
They go over this months business which is nothing. You have some coffee and donuts maybe.
Everybody's friendly but there's not many there. Almost all officials.
And you leave.
3 hours of your Saturday gone.
How many want to spend their whole Saturday there? Or even the 30 minute meeting if they live closer?
This isn't a condemnation of how it's done and is. It is what it is and I don't think the officials can change much about it.


40 hour job unions might fare better with attendance.
But this one requires too much.
 
The shutting down of companies made it so a whole lot of guys at our terminal don't even live within the boundaries of the Local.
It's the same type of thing of globalism.
The Local isn't even made of Locals. And ya can't go to the Local of your area when you work in another Locals territory.
A weakening in all types of ways.
 
slavenomore said:
That's a big reason for the shortages imo.
Life is to live....not just work.
Yet so many are convinced that we owe our jobs every minute of every day.
And since contracts allow it......slim chance of changing it.

This business will do just about everything and give just about every minute.....and guys just say....that's the way it is...if you don't like it leave.
Stupid.
You figure you want to further your people or society.
You want to marry and have kids and be there sometimes.
Nope the business has convinced us all that we should all REALLY desire to live to make move freight.
Pretty dumb imo.
But we all do it.
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Work to live. Not live to work. Companies don’t run credit reports on applicants to prove reliability. They run em to get folks deep in debt.
 
slavenomore said:
The shutting down of companies made it so a whole lot of guys at our terminal don't even live within the boundaries of the Local.
It's the same type of thing of globalism.
The Local isn't even made of Locals. And ya can't go to the Local of your area when you work in another Locals territory.
A weakening in all types of ways.
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Last contract I voted on, I didn’t. Had vaca the week of. Changed the vote date without notifying me. And the membership is lazy smfh. The entire organized institution needs reminded of the basis for their existence. Sound like Gov’t?
 
slavenomore said:
The shutting down of companies made it so a whole lot of guys at our terminal don't even live within the boundaries of the Local.
It's the same type of thing of globalism.
The Local isn't even made of Locals. And ya can't go to the Local of your area when you work in another Locals territory.
A weakening in all types of ways.
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And the union does nothing to make it easier on the dues payers to attend. Thanks for nothing.
 
White said:
Last contract I voted on, I didn’t. Had vaca the week of. Changed the vote date without notifying me. And the membership is lazy smfh. The entire organized institution needs reminded of the basis for their existence. Sound like Gov’t?
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Corporations run the government....and although not directly, sadly control the unions too. They do it through what they say they want and need. And unions are afraid to sink them.
And the union goes to the government for help which in reality is corporate lawyers and investors running government.

We need a system of joining and getting representation anywhere without a majority to change it imo.
Then we are beholden to no specific companies which can be targeted or have total control.
 
slavenomore said:
Corporations run the government....and although not directly, sadly control the unions too. They do it through what they say they want and need. And unions are afraid to sink them.
And the union goes to the government for help which in reality is corporate lawyers and investors running government.

We need a system of joining and getting representation anywhere without a majority to change it imo.
Then we are beholden to no specific companies which can be targeted or have total control.
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I’ll go off the rails here. Ironic the popularity of team sports when the reality of our society is more similar to the stab everyone in the back reality shows. The economy, our society & our country’s prosperity is dependent on teamwork. Yet our governing bodies lead in a manner which is anything but.
 
I'll have to check if the TDU has changed their coverage or opinion from a few days ago.
Seems to me that the unions and all unions were sold out by teaming with Biden.
I'll have to look into the details and post later.
But under Hoffa,TDU basically called him out as a sellout with every move he made. I agreed with both sides on different issues in the past.

But under this sellout I was seeing no condemnation of the IBT by TDU.

Also, the World Socialists Website didn't slap Bernie for his involvement.

They protect their boys.

Seems to me if we had a legendary type leader like JR Hoffa senior or Walter Reuther....
There was a perfect opportunity to support membership and the union.
If they'd have supported the membership in their strike vote and Biden or the Republicans would have threatened government thuggery thru legislation.....the entirety of the IBT membership should have been used in defense.
Worried about your economy over our members?
Then support the strike.
Don't delay it or legislate against it ...........or EVERY Teamster walks in support.
When you have all the world investors, and the US government and the railroads against you......and they, in reality are who hold us down and back EVERY time .......then the best option would have been to shut their entire economy down instead of just the railroads.
I'm pretty sure the striking members would have walked away with what they wanted, very quickly.
And union respect and trust would have been restored.
Instead we see relationship between Union Officials and politicians take precedence over dues paying members.,..whose dues are paid for representation of their own causes.....not the politicians or union officials causes.

I post this as opinion without knowing every single detail.
 
I must admit that I rarely frequent mainstream news on TV or radio anymore....but I can imagine that Biden was stood up to be the great union heroes here.

Now for the reality.

No deal has been made.
What a surprise.
The only deal is that this cannot happen before midterms and the real people involved must be silenced....for Biden and the Democrats and the TDU supported brand new leadership.
I was hoping for change.
They just blew it as did TDU.
Trust is broken.
Not always easily salvageable if salvageable at all.

www.wsws.org

Railroaders furious after unions reveal that no tentative agreement exists, despite sabotage of strike

Workers are livid after the two largest rail unions revealed on Friday, less than a day after blocking a national strike, that no tentative agreements yet exist between the unions and the carriers.
www.wsws.org

Railroaders furious after unions reveal that no tentative agreement exists, despite sabotage of strike

"One day after leading Democratic politicians and the media announced that tentative agreements had been reached between the two largest railroad workers unions, both unions acknowledged that no final tentative agreements actually exist yet and that workers should not expect to view any details of the agreements for weeks."


...."“This is probably going to take three to four weeks,” Pierce said. He claimed that this was “not a delay tactic, it’s just the way the process works.”

Why it would take BLET “three to four weeks” to post a slightly reworded version of the Biden-backed Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) recommendations, which have already been roundly rejected by workers for failing to deal with inhuman attendance systems and increasing health care costs, was not explained.

“Everyone needs to remain calm,” Pierce begged. The BLET president, who according to LM-2 tax documents, was paid over $275,000 in total compensation in 2021, added, “We’re not trying to impose anything. We’re trying to give them [that is, rank-and-file workers] a chance to decide their future.” (Emphasis added)

Pierce did not explain how sabotaging workers’ desires and democratic vote to strike, on the basis of a non-existent agreement, was allowing “them” a “chance to decide their future.”
 
Hookman said:
Well the IAM should go ahead and strike as they were trying to respect the other unions and hold off.
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They should've gotten support from the leadership of it all.
They could have used all kinds of union members nationwide to support this.
It's not supposed to be about the politician being served.
They're supposed to serve us.
Once again we pay.....yet we get bossed around.
The story of my life lately.
We can't be so stupid to believe that politicians can be trusted.
Reagan was supported by the Air Traffic Controllers.
He fired over 11,000 of them and replaced them.

Carter probably had a lot of union support.
He deregulated trucking and other industries, I think.
Clinton Signed NAFTA.
Clinton brought China in for trade.
Obama used us to get Obamacare and he went totally against us with his desire of the TPP and FastTracking it on top of it.

At least Republicans don't usually take our vote and PAC money and act like our friend.
We know where they stand.
 
Sad state we are in and have been in.
A mess. I'll post what the word limit allows but you should read this.

www.wsws.org

The rail unions have violated our rights. Organize the Railroad Workers Rank-and-File Network to countermand their betrayal!

This statement was issued by the Railroad Workers Rank-and-File Committee, which has been established by railroad workers to organize and unify their struggle independently of the union apparatus.
www.wsws.org

Dear brothers and sisters,

The rail unions’ agreement of September 15, worked out behind our backs in the dead of night, is not only a betrayal of railroaders that seeks to enforce the Presidential Emergency Board report with only minor tweaks. It is also a flagrant violation of the democratic will of the membership and the bedrock principles of the labor movement. By their own actions, the bureaucrats that run the BLET, SMART-TD and the other 10 unions have shown that they don’t represent us, but the railroads, the government and Wall Street.

We now have every right, and the duty, to organize ourselves independently of the union apparatus to countermand this agreement and all future violations of workers’ rights. The will of railroaders is not something to be ignored whenever it is convenient for the bureaucrats. The basic principle that railroaders must adopt is: The authority of the rank-and-file is absolute and unimpeachable. Anything less is an unacceptable violation of our democratic and social rights.

The will of the rank-and-file was clearly expressed on the night of September 14, in a representative national meeting of 500 railroaders sponsored by the Railroad Workers Rank-and-File Committee. That resolution, which passed by 98 percent, read:
Then it shows there points and goes to this:
 
Here's some more from above.
"The deal between the unions, the companies and the White House, which was worked out as railroaders were meeting, is a flagrant and deliberate violation of all three points:

First, it is a de-facto injunction, enforcing through the collaboration of the unions and the White House a ban on a national strike that both the Democrats and Republicans were prepared to pass in Congress on September 16.

Second, it includes pay increases below the rate of inflation, maintains Hi Viz, PSR and other punitive attendance policies, would give us only four sicks for an entire year (only one of which would be paid) and does nothing to end the push for one-man crews.

Third, it keeps us working while the unions work to delay a strike. The unions have admitted that a contract does not even exist yet. This is a violation of the basic principle of the labor movement, “no contract, no work.” The unions are now stretching the voting process out for weeks in a bid to demoralize us and soften us up so that they can pass a contract we do not support."
 
Once again, I'm not a Socialist. But they report this issue from a members point of view. Not a corporate sponsored fake news point of view. I've heard even maybe Labor Notes and other Lefty sites are on the take and support Biden on this.
Corruption everywhere.

www.wsws.org

The White House intervention to block rail strike and the political issues confronting railroad workers

When a movement of the working class gets underway, there will be Hell to pay, and the sweep of that movement could assume revolutionary dimensions. With the help of the unions, they are determined to prevent, or at least to delay, this as long as possible.
www.wsws.org
 
"A former top railroad union official has floated the idea of union bureaucrats forcing through a sellout contract even if workers vote it down, either by unilaterally declaring it passed or having it enforced by the government by sending it to binding arbitration.

In an article published in Railway Age, Frank Wilner, a former director of public relations for SMART-TD and a Bill Clinton-appointed chief of staff of the Surface Transportation Board, reported that union officials have refused to rule out the possibility.

Wilner writes: “One union official, while declining to answer specifically, said only that it would be ‘irresponsible’ for Railway Age to report on the possibility and asked not to be identified. In fact, such speculative reporting has appeared elsewhere, and overrides of ratification votes have occurred.”

In other words, the unions are directly considering it but do not want the membership to be alerted to that fact."

www.wsws.org

Former SMART-TD top official floats idea of forcing through sellout rail contract even if workers reject it

Workers must take this as a serious warning that they must take matters into their own hands to countermand the unions’ betrayal.
www.wsws.org
 
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