Yes, I did, it didn't answer my question. I'm not really interested in hearing individual complaints. Although I'm not dismissing them, I'm just not all that sensitive to what people say who make a lot of money, don't have to worry about getting laid off at any moment, have sick pay, have vacation, have a strong union at their back. Most in this country don't have that. I wanted to know what their union had agreed to. In this situation, it's the contract that drives everything, not personal stories. They should tell their story to the janitors in LA and see how it is received.
That said, I'm not pro-railroad company either. I found this as the most recent policy that was posted online dated May 31, 2022 It is the policy that according to the source has either been revoked or is still in place.
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It sucks. No question. It sucks and is at least 50 years behind the times in terms of providing employees work-life balance. If this is what is in place, it's a disgrace. I think it is, too.
According to the unions:
Unions complained that to manage a shortfall of employees, the carriers effectively forced their members to remain on call for days and sometimes weeks at a time, partly through the use of strict attendance policies that could lead to disciplinary action or even firing. They said the policies pushed workers to the limits of their physical and mental health.
Workers Say Railroads’ Efficiency Push Became Too Much
According to the rail industry's National Railway Labor Conference
BARGAINING STATUS FAQ – DECEMBER 2022
Rail employees receive up to five weeks of vacation in addition to up to 14 paid holidays and/or paid leave days (all depending on craft and seniority). They also participate in a carrier-funded federal sickness benefit program, and many have access to other benefits under existing labor agreements.
Operating craft employees also can “mark off” – or temporarily remove themselves from service – for any reason, as long as they maintain a reasonable level of overall availability under carrier attendance policies.
The new agreements with the operating craft unions also include provisions regarding time away from work for routine and preventive medical care and provide that absences related to hospitalizations and surgeries are not counted toward normal attendance handling.
There is a new tentative agreement that may or may not supersede the anachronistic Hi-Viz attendance policy of May 31 but I can't access it because I'm not a member of the union. The bargaining status faq says all sorts of rosy things about the new agreement. BUT it all depends on what the attendance policy is. If it's the one that was struck in May, then the RR workers have a valid complaint.
To me, the main sticking point that did not change is unions say the RR companies are maintaining a skeleton crew. Hence the shitty and harsh attendance policies. Hence the tired workers, hence the safety concerns, hence the need for Congress to continue to work to resolve this issue.
So, yeah, this sucks, is a stain on the Biden administration and all the highfallutin words he said was just fluff.
www.aar.org
