[ "Its about attendance policies, sick time, fatigue, and the lack
of family time," said one union official. "A lot of these things that
cannot be seen but are felt by our membership. Its destroying their
livelihoods."]
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MAJOR STRIKE LOOMS AS LARGEST RAIL UNION IN US REJECTS WHITE
HOUSE-BROKERED CONTRACT  
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Jake Johnson
November 21, 2022
Common Dreams
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_ "It's about attendance policies, sick time, fatigue, and the lack
of family time," said one union official. "A lot of these things that
cannot be seen but are felt by our membership. It's destroying their
livelihoods." _

Railway workers walk through Union Station in Washington, D.C. on
September 15, 2022. , (Photo: Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

 

THE LARGEST RAILROAD WORKERS union in the United States announced
Monday that its members voted to reject a contract negotiated with the
help of the Biden White House, once again raising the prospect of a
major strike or lockout as employees revolt over profitable
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giants' refusal to provide adequate paid sick leave.

The Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet
Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) said in
a statement
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just over 50% of its members voted to reject the proposed contract.
Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen
(BLET)—the second-largest rail union in the U.S.—voted to ratify
the contract, the union said Monday.

If any of the rail unions decide to strike, the others have vowed to
honor their picket lines. SMART-TD said a strike or lockout could
begin as soon as December 9.

"SMART-TD members with their votes have spoken, it's now back to the
bargaining table for our operating craft members," said Jeremy
Ferguson, the union's president. "This can all be settled through
negotiations and without a strike. A settlement would be in the best
interests of the workers, the railroads, shippers, and the American
people."

"The ball is now in the railroads' court. Let's see what they do. They
can settle this at the bargaining table," Ferguson added. "But, the
railroad executives who constantly complain about government
interference and regularly bad-mouth regulators and Congress now want
Congress to do the bargaining for them."

The tentative contract agreement was reached
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September after marathon negotiations between the Biden White House,
rail unions, and rail company representatives.

As the details of the proposed deal began reaching union members, it
became increasingly clear that many were furious at how little the
agreement would do to alter rail companies' punitive attendance
system
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under which workers can be penalized or fired for taking a day off to
see the doctor.

"Press reports made it sound like the deal would create three sick
days for railroad workers," Jonah Furman of _Labor Notes_ reported
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month after the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees—the
nation's third-largest rail union—voted to reject the proposed
contract.

"Once the actual language came out, what was created turned out to be
something less than sick time: heavily circumscribed, unpaid time off
for routine or preventative medical appointments, on a Tuesday,
Wednesday, or Thursday with at least 30 days notice, plus no
attendance penalties for hospitalization or surgery," Furman added.

Jared Cassity, a conductor and the national legislative director at
SMART-TD, told
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Washington Post_ Monday that the union's vote against ratifying the
contract was "about the frustration that the railroads have created
with [their attendance policies] and the deterioration of quality of
life as a result for our conductors."

"It's about attendance policies, sick time, fatigue, and the lack of
family time," Cassity added. "A lot of these things that cannot be
seen but are felt by our membership. It's destroying their
livelihoods."

_Jake Johnson is a staff writer for Common Dreams._

* RAIL WORKERS
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* no contract
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* transport strike
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* working conditions
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