Author Topic: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.  (Read 3930 times)

WLJ

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As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« on: September 13, 2022, 10:00:28 PM »
A major rail strike could begin Friday if a deal isn't agreed to by then.

Quote
Business and government officials are bracing for the possibility of a nationwide rail strike at the end of this week while talks carry on between the largest U.S. freight railroads and their unions.

The railroads have already started to curtail shipments of hazardous materials and have announced plans to stop hauling refrigerated products ahead of Friday's strike deadline. Now businesses that rely on Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX, Kansas City Southern and other railroads to deliver their raw materials and finished products have started planning for the worst.

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Some businesses would likely be affected more than others by a rail shutdown. For instance, nearly all ethanol and coal and most grain moves by rail.

Another disruption to the supply chain coming right up.
I guess we can expect another spike in prices.

Businesses, White House Plan for Possible Rail Strike Friday
https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2022-09-13/businesses-white-house-plan-for-possible-rail-strike-friday
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HankB

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #1 on: September 13, 2022, 11:11:27 PM »
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    Some businesses would likely be affected more than others by a rail shutdown. For instance, nearly all ethanol and coal and most grain moves by rail.

And thanks to Brandon, at least SOME oil that SHOULD be moving by pipeline is moving by rail instead. No wonder the stock market went down sharply today.
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French G.

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #2 on: September 14, 2022, 12:05:31 AM »
Hard to pick a winner in that one. I am sure rail management is crap, look no further than Precision Scheduled Railroading. I am 100% certain the unions are trash too. Maybe time to pray for an asteroid.
AKA Navy Joe   

I'm so contrarian that I didn't respond to the thread.

Boomhauer

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #3 on: September 14, 2022, 04:53:19 AM »
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But the White House is also keeping the pressure on the two sides to settle their differences, and a growing number of business groups are lobbying Congress to be prepared to intervene and block a strike if they can't reach an agreement.

Yes I’m sure the Democrats who are firm allies and owned by the unions are applying pressure to the unions. This strike is just coincidentally threatened during a Dem administration and Dem controlled legislature period I’m sure.
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OTOH, there wouldn't be a tweeker left in Georgia...

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Ron

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #4 on: September 14, 2022, 09:41:18 AM »
This has been percolating at least since early this year. I have family connected to the industry.

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WLJ

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #5 on: September 14, 2022, 09:45:28 AM »
Talk of UPS striking too
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Boomhauer

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #6 on: September 14, 2022, 05:44:19 PM »
They are apparently striking. One of the *expletive deleted*ers for CSX just came into my wife’s department to get strike/protest permit for tomorrow…this is in a tiny city in SC.
« Last Edit: September 14, 2022, 09:44:22 PM by Boomhauer »
Quote from: Ben
Holy hell. It's like giving a loaded gun to a chimpanzee...

Quote from: bluestarlizzard
the last thing you need is rabies. You're already angry enough as it is.

OTOH, there wouldn't be a tweeker left in Georgia...

Quote from: Balog
BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE! AND THROW SOME STEAK ON THE GRILL!

K Frame

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #7 on: September 15, 2022, 07:16:36 AM »
It's OK. The main representative of the Alzheimer's Association of American worked out a tentative agreement to prevent a strike.
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dogmush

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #8 on: September 15, 2022, 10:59:06 AM »
what is the role of the Alzheimer's Assoc here?  Random Neutral 3rd party?

WLJ

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #9 on: September 15, 2022, 11:03:36 AM »
Either way you can bet dollars to donuts he'll take credit.
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Tuco

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #10 on: September 15, 2022, 11:04:58 AM »
what is the role of the Alzheimer's Assoc here?  Random Neutral 3rd party?
More like random neural amirite? huh?
It's a joke. He was referring to Joe Biden
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dogmush

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #11 on: September 15, 2022, 11:17:58 AM »
Oooooh... that makes more sense.   =D =D

Perd Hapley

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #12 on: September 15, 2022, 11:51:26 AM »
https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/

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Yes, management probably needs to make more than a few concessions to labor. But someone in the labor camp needs to realize they can’t spend decades making it nearly impossible to bring in new blood, and then blame management for the fact there’s nobody around to give them time off. The laws of supply and demand are vicious mistresses, and they don’t like being broken.

My only addition would be to remark on what a comfort it has been to know that our devoted and tireless Secretary of Transportation has obviously had this situation well in hand from the beginning. And then he lets the Sec. of Labor take all the credit! What an extraordinary gentleman.
« Last Edit: September 15, 2022, 12:04:09 PM by Perd Hapley »
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K Frame

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #13 on: September 15, 2022, 12:44:02 PM »
what is the role of the Alzheimer's Assoc here?  Random Neutral 3rd party?

The initial announcement of a settlement came from Biden's office...

Given his mental capabilities... Alzheimer's Association.
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K Frame

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #14 on: September 15, 2022, 12:44:54 PM »
More like random neural amirite? huh?
It's a joke. He was referring to Joe Biden

Bingo!

:rofl:
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Boomhauer

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #15 on: September 15, 2022, 08:58:41 PM »
https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/

My only addition would be to remark on what a comfort it has been to know that our devoted and tireless Secretary of Transportation has obviously had this situation well in hand from the beginning. And then he lets the Sec. of Labor take all the credit! What an extraordinary gentleman.

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Management isn’t the only determining factor in railroad employment. The ‘boards’ at any given railroad office are controlled by the union local. While management decides how many people to train and hire for a specific location, the union decides how many jobs there are at that location. And of course, the jobs are bid by seniority.

[Back when I worked in the railroad industry] BNSF hired me and about 20 other guys to work; we spent six weeks in training and another two months in on-the-job-training before we could ‘mark up’ at the yard office.

Sounds simple, right?

Well, the local union decided there was only enough work for about 15 of us. That left the bottom five guys left to go elsewhere in the district to find a job. If you couldn’t find a job, you were unemployed until a spot opened up.

I was the fourteenth guy in that group, so every time the board got cut, I had to go to another town where I outranked someone, and I could bump that person off that board. Let me tell you, doing that makes you really popular in a town you don’t live in.

Add to this the fact that the railroad job is 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. You go to work on about two hours’ notice, and you could be gone for three days or longer. You could go to work at two in the afternoon or two in the morning- and you could work a 12-hour shift. Yes, you earn vacation time. But if you want to take it, there must be enough people available to do your job while you’re out.

Not exactly a model workplace.

So, while the unions may complain about the number of people leaving railroad service all together, the unions are a big part of the problem they’re complaining about.

For the past two decades, the unions have been making it very hard for new guys and gals to hire on and stay on. I endured two years in northeastern Montana before I found myself standing in a field during a blizzard waiting for a train and wondering exactly what the hell I was doing there.

Railroading is a hard job. But it’s a good solid job and one this nation relies on.

Back to my point: Yes, management probably needs to make more than a few concessions to labor. But someone in the labor camp needs to realize they can’t spend decades making it nearly impossible to bring in new blood, and then blame management for the fact there’s nobody around to give them time off. The laws of supply and demand are vicious mistresses, and they don’t like being broken

A decade ago I was looking to leave the park service and applied for numerous railroad jobs as I was an ideal candidate being single and no kids to be a conductor or a fireman (basically an oiler)  I probably applied for a hundred jobs in locomotive crewing, yards, and track gangs with UP, BNSF, CSX, and NS. I got interviews for two of them…a BNSF fireman for Montana and  conductor for NS. I decided not to go to the Montana one due to distance to get there. I went to the conductor one.

I expected that since I was being invited to an actual interview that it meant I was at least a good chance if I interviewed well to get a job offer.

No such chance. It was an interview day for a hundred men competing for one job. One. They had us for four hours filling out paperwork detailing backgrounds, all the same info you sent on your resume so the aholes already had THAT plus info for extensive background checks.

Then they made us wait for two hours while they were behind closed doors, then one came out and taped a list of five names to the door. These were the guys getting the actual interviews.

I talked with a bunch of other candidates, most had been trying for years to get on the job. The interview crew knew the five they were going to talk to before the event, they just wanted to waste the time of 95 other people who were hoping so bad to get a chance for a lucrative paying job in the middle of a recession.

Quote from: Ben
Holy hell. It's like giving a loaded gun to a chimpanzee...

Quote from: bluestarlizzard
the last thing you need is rabies. You're already angry enough as it is.

OTOH, there wouldn't be a tweeker left in Georgia...

Quote from: Balog
BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE! AND THROW SOME STEAK ON THE GRILL!

Pb

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #16 on: September 16, 2022, 10:05:57 AM »
Preacherman says the rail companies are treating their employees badly, and a strike is justified:

https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2022/09/if-i-worked-on-railroads-id-vote-for.html

K Frame

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #17 on: September 16, 2022, 10:23:17 AM »
Wait, the Preacherman who used to post here in the early days?

I thought he had passed away?
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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #18 on: September 16, 2022, 11:47:48 AM »
My dad spent 39 years working for Q, then BN, and retired with BNSF. (Mergers of railroads).

The 24/7 call crap got old growing up, he wasn't able to participate much in family life outside the house. Stuff needs to change with the railroads and how employees are treated.
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Pb

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #19 on: September 16, 2022, 11:53:39 AM »
Wait, the Preacherman who used to post here in the early days?

This is the same Preacherman from the firing line and the armed polite society.  I don't know if he used to post here or not.  He is an immigrant from South Africa, retired prison Chaplin, and a former Catholic priest.  Now he is married.

WLJ

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #20 on: September 16, 2022, 11:56:05 AM »
My dad spent 39 years working for Q, then BN, and retired with BNSF. (Mergers of railroads).

The 24/7 call crap got old growing up, he wasn't able to participate much in family life outside the house. Stuff needs to change with the railroads and how employees are treated.

Friend of mine used to work for the railroad, can't remember which company, and I remember him saying the 24/7 thing was the biggest reason he got out.
« Last Edit: September 16, 2022, 12:58:22 PM by WLJ »
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Bogie

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #21 on: September 16, 2022, 12:53:35 PM »
And that is another job that is so tightly sewed up that you damn near have to be the son of an existing worker to even be considered...
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cordex

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #22 on: September 16, 2022, 02:03:31 PM »
Are the working conditions (and resulting high salaries) the fault of the unions, management, or both?

K Frame

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #23 on: September 17, 2022, 07:54:51 PM »
This is the same Preacherman from the firing line and the armed polite society.  I don't know if he used to post here or not.  He is an immigrant from South Africa, retired prison Chaplin, and a former Catholic priest.  Now he is married.

Uhm... huh?

THIS is the Armed Polite Society, and yes, a Preacherman by that description used to post here in the early days.

As I said, I was under the impression that he had passed away -- I'm glad that you're reporting that he's alive and well.
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sumpnz

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Re: As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now a rail strike.
« Reply #24 on: September 18, 2022, 12:24:33 AM »
Are the working conditions (and resulting high salaries) the fault of the unions, management, or both?

Probably both.  I read where the unions make it super hard to bring in new guys, so labor shortages are endemic as a result.  But management probably has some responsibility for that situation too.

It’s one of those things where the old guys at the top love it because they make bank and can control a lot.  But the guys that aren’t quite at the very top feel overworked (if also overpaid), the guys in the middle get jerked around terrible, and the guys at the bottom are constantly getting shafted.  But the only people with the power to change anything are the same ones vested in keeping it the same.