Possible US railroad strike looming

MarkinPhx

MarkinPhx

Well-known Member
Location
Phoenix
Obviously this would put a strain on what is already a fragile supply chain situation.

https://www.wired.com/story/a-us-fr...ail-crisis-threatens-more-supply-chain-chaos/

"Worse, the US freight rail system is now poised on the brink of total paralysis because of a contract dispute between 115,000 rail workers and their employers. Negotiations have dragged on since the last contract expired in 2019, during which time rail workers have not had a raise. Under the Railway Labor Act, federal government mediators try to prevent railroad work stoppages, in this case to no avail. On August 16, a three-member presidential emergency board appointed by President Biden issued recommendations for the basis of a new contract. If the sides don’t reach agreement by September 15, rail workers can strike—a scenario that Rick Paterson, a rail analyst at the investment firm Loop Capital Markets who testified during the STB hearings, calls “economic WMD.”
 

Most goods and materials are now shipped by truck, and part of the supply chain issue was that truckers just stopped trucking. They were replaced in part by less experienced immigrants. Railroads don't ship as much as they did at one time, but they are mostly responsible for shipping a few specific commodities like wheat and coal. A break in that sector would probably have an effect on some of those commodities.
 

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I had been out of the work force for 10 years in 2011, and all I can compare them to was with what I was making, but even though that's how people compare wages, it doesn't mean much. Some jobs just pay more than others. I'm not in a position to say whether those wages are fair or not. What do you think? And is that the real issue? I honestly don't know. I don't want to see the supply chain interrupted some more, but I don't know what the best way to solve that would be. I guess it's the same old problem: Some things are just beyond my control.
 
Gee, a labor dispute, We've never had one of those before. I'll bet the Union says they are underpaid, And the corporate response is they are barely able to stay in business., The article says the last contract was in 2019, and we lived through that, Let's not count our catastrophes, before they hatch.
 
Not good if it happens and causes more supply back ups. I loved Foster Farms turkey meatballs that Costco used to carry. About two years ago, maybe longer, they stopped carrying them. I called the company and found out that they are not distributing on the east coast anymore. :(
 
Talks need to stay on track! I would hate to see them de-railed!
iu
 
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Rail workers push to strike. Here's why they're angry.

"Freight train workers are fed up."

"One conductor said he nearly missed his wife’s funeral because he couldn’t get time off. An engineer said he was put on a disciplinary path after having to stay home to fix a broken water heater. Other freight train workers blamed the industry’s on-call, 24/7 scheduling requirements for health problems and divorces — a lifestyle they said had turned one of the best-paying blue-collar jobs in the country into one marred by misery and neglect." (READ MORE)
 
Welcome to our world.. The British Railway workers, already one of the highest Paid Blue collar workers in the UK.. strike whenever there's an R in the month. In fact last week again, they brought half the UK to a halt ..
 
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JustDave said:
Most goods and materials are now shipped by truck, and part of the supply chain issue was that truckers just stopped trucking. They were replaced in part by less experienced immigrants.
Click to expand...
For what it's worth a UK train driver with four-nine years of experience can earn an average salary of £47,300, while an experienced train driver with 10-20 years of experience earns £55,000 on average. Train drivers with more than 20 years of experience earn an average of £65,000.
Truck drivers are in categories depending on truck size. Their wage rate goes between £35K to £55K. The supermarkets pay very well but the highest paid are the oil delivery drivers who deliver fuel to the pump. They can earn as much as £65K.
When can we expect a few American train and truck drivers?
 

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