MARIA: WELCOME BACK, A
DEVASTATING RAIL WORKER
STRIKE, LOOKING INCREASINGLY
LIKELY, AFTER THE LARGEST RAIL
UNION VOTED AGAINST DAY
TENTATIVE DEAL PUSHED BY WHITE
HOUSE, A STRIKE COULD COST
AMERICAN ECONOMY AS MUCH AS
TWO BILLION DOLLARS A DAY.
HERE IS WHAT LABOR SECRETARY
OF STATE MARTY WATCH SAID
ABOUT ECONOMIC IMPACT AFTER
DLAIFRG VICTORY ON THE ISSUE
IN SEPTEMBER.
>>.
>> WHAT WAS AT STAKE HERE.
>> THE SUPPLY CHAIN WORKING
ABOUT -- THE PRESIDENT TRYING
TO BRING DOWN GLOBAL -- UH
INFLATION PRESSURES, DOMESTIC
INFLATION PRESSURES, UH
UNDERSTANDING THAT IF THIS
STRIKE HAPPENED TONIGHT WOULD
HAVE BEEN 12:00 WOULD HAVE
DEVASTATING IMPACTS ON
AMERICAN ECONOMY.
>> JOINING ME RIGHT NOW IS THE
BROTHERHOOD OF LOCOMOTIVE
ENGINEERS AND TRAIN MEN
NATIONAL PRESIDENT, DENNIS
PIERS THANKS VERY MUCH FOR
BEING HERE FOUR RAIL UNIONS
VOTED AGAINST THE DEAL EIGHT
HAVE VOTED FOR IT THE
BROTHERHOOD OF LOCOMOTIVE
ENGINEERS, TRAINMEN VOTED TO
RATIFY THE DEAL, TELL US WHAT
YOU SAW IN THIS DEAL THAT
WORKS.
>> I THINK IMPORTANT TO NOTE
WE’VE BEEN AT BAR AGAINING
TABLE THREE YEARS TRYING TO
WORK OUT A CONTRACT THROUGH
THAT TIME RAIL ROADS ARE MADE
RECORD PROFITS SLASHED
WORKFORCE OUR GUYS FORCED TO
WORK AS ESSENTIALS THROUGH
PANDEMIC ALL IN BACKGROUND WE
VOTED SAME ACCOUNT,
TRANSPORTATION DID BOTH VERY
CLOSE VOTES BARELY WE BARELY
RATIFIED, I THINK AN
INDICATION OF THE ANGER
ANIMOSITY STILL OUT THERE ON
RAILROAD DOESN’T MEAN THAT OUR
CONTRACT WON’T GET SIGNED WE
WILL GET TO WORKING TO IMPROVE
CONDITIONS OUT THERE, BUT THE
OTHER UNIONS ARE BACK AT THE
TABLE TRYING TO GET THIS
FINISHED.
MARIA: YOU’VE GOT TO DELIVER
55 MILLION TONS OF FREIGHT BY
RAIL EVERYDAY, AND YOU’VE GOT
TO COUNT ON WORKERS SHOWING
UP, AND ONE OF THE ISSUES I
BELIEVE FOR SOME OF YOUR
COLLEAGUES IN THE INDUSTRY IS
THAT THEY WANT PAID SICK DAYS,
THAT TENTATIVE DEAL PROVIDED
ONE DAY TO GET PAID THEY WANT
MANY MORE DAYS, SICK DAYS TO
GET PAID LIKE WHAT IF THEY THE
GET COVID CAN’T SHOW UP YOU
ALL SHOWED UP DURING PANDEMIC,
WHAT ARE THE STICKING POINTS?
IS IT LARGELY AROUND SICK PAY
OR SOMETHING ELSE?
>> IT IS A COMBINATION OF SICK
PAY, CLIMATE WORK IN GENERAL
ESPECIALLY TRAIN CREWS
ENGINEERS CONDUCTORS ROTATED
CALL BASE MANY HAVE NO
SCHEDULED IT WOULD BE FOREIGN
CONCEPT NOT NO KNOW WHEN YOU
GET A DAY WITH FAMILY THE I
REALLY ROORDZ ADOPTED MORE
STRICT POLICY THEY HAVE BEEN
GIVEN ATTENDANCE POINTS MANY
CASE TERMINATED IMPACT HAS
BEEN DRAMATIC WILL HAVE A TWO
YEARS WITH BUSINESS STYLE,
THAT IS RUNNING EMPLOYEES OUT
OF THE INDUSTRY.
AND SHORT STAFFING INDUSTRY
WHERE SUPPLY CHAINS BEEN
CRIPPLED BY RILE RHODES OUR
JOBS IS TO MAKE JOBS BETTER
THAT IS WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO
DO WITH KLTHS BUT A
COMBINATION TIME AWAY FROM
WORK PAID AND UNPAID.
>> IS THERE ANY WAY YOU SEE
RAIL MANAGEMENT GIVEN UNIONS
15 SICK DAYS WHAT THEY WERE
ASKING FOR RIGHT THEY WANT 15
DAYS, KNOWING THEY CAN GET
PAID FOR SICK DAYS.
>> WE MADE THAT PRESENTATION,
TO PRESIDENTIAL EMERGENCY
BOARD NONBINDING PANEL LAST
SUMMER RECOMMENDATION DID NOT
COME BACK IN OUR FAVOR WHERE
RAILROADS REFUSED TO GIVE IT
TO THE UNIONS AND IN THE
CONTRACT, TIME WILL TELL IF
RAILROADS ARE WILLING TO
SETTLE THEY HAVE COMPLETE
FINANCIAL ABILITY REPORT
PROFITS, TIME WILL TEMPERATURE
IF WILLING TO DO THAT OR
PUSHING IT DOWN TO THE WIRE.
>> THE CONTRACT FOR THIS DEAL
GIVE A 11,000 DOLLAR SIGNING BONUS I AM TOLD PLUS RAISE
BONUS I AM TOLD PLUS RAISE
OVER FIVE-YEAR PERIOD OF KRLT
ACCOUNT 4% IF YOUR COLLEAGUES
OTHER UNIONS REJECT WHEN YOU
WALK PAST THE PICKET LINE OR
WILL YOU HONOR THE PICKET
LINE?
>> FIRST THE 11,000 DOLLAR
NUMBER FOLKS WENT THREE YEARS WITHOUT A WAGE INCREASE SO NOT
WITHOUT A WAGE INCREASE SO NOT
A SIGNING BONUS THERE IS 24%
WAGE INCREASE OVER FIVE YEARS
THERE IS NOT THE AIL RAIL
UNION GOING TO CROSS ANOTHER
PICKET LINE IF THEY PUT THEM
UP.
>> THAT IS THE THE POINT YOU
HAVE LEVERAGE HERE WE ARE A
MOMENT IN TIME, WHERE THE
ECONOMY IS TEETERING, MORE
THAN EVER, WE NEED THE RAILS
TO WORK, DURING THE HOLIDAYS,
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE CHANCES
ARE THAT THIS IS WHERE THIS IS
GOING?
A STRIKE, AFTER DECEMBER 9 OR
DECEMBER WHAT IS THE DATE
DECEMBER 5?
>> CONSOLE DEDICATING TO
MIDNIGHT MORNING OF DECEMBER
9, OBVIOUSLY, CONGRESS IS
WATCHING CONGRESS COULD
INTERVENE, RILE RHODES ARE ALL
BUT COUNTING ON CONGRESS TO
INTERVENE WHY NOT MOVING THE
NEEDLE, OBVIOUSLY, IMPACT OF
SUPPLY CHAIN NOBODY WANTS, A
STRIKE IS NOT A FIRST CHOICE
FOR ANY LABOR UNION, BUT IT
IS, OBVIOUSLY, FINAL FOOL THAT
IS WHAT IT TAKES TO GET, A
VERY PROFITABLE INDUSTRY TO DO
SOMETHING TO TREAT FOLKS FAIR.
THEY ARE SUPPLY CHAIN RUNNING
EMPLOYEES OFF THEY ARE HAVING
HARD TIME HIRING GROSSLY
UNDERSTAFFED BECAUSE OF THE
WAY THEY TREATED THESE FOLKS
THEY’VE GOT TO CHANGE THE
NEEDLE EVEN A SPIKE COULD GO
GET PAST DEADLINE WORK IT OUT
STILL MUCH TROUBLE HIRING IF
NOT HEALED LIKE SHOULD IT BE.
>> WHAT DO YOU WANT CONGRESS
TO DO ONCE CONGRESS SPEVENZ
WHAT SPECIFICALLY CAN CONGRESS
DO?
>> CONGRESS HAS THE AUTHORITY
TO LEGISLATE THE CONTRACT NOT
UNION FIRST CHOICE I THINK
RAIL ROORDZ COUNTING ON IT YOU
WHY THEY WON’T BARGAIN IF
STAYING OUT THERE MY GUESS
THEY WOULD FIND A WAY TO WORK
THIS OUT AVOID A STRIKE THE
FINANCIAL IMPACT TO INDUSTRY,
CONGRESS HAS AUTHORITY IN
THESE MATTERS IF THEY CHOOSE
TO GET INTO IT, THEY HAVE DONE
IT BEFORE.
>> QUICK BEFORE YOU GO, DENNIS
WHEN YOU FIRST GOT THIS
TENTATIVE DEAL, WAS THERE ANY
DISCUSSION OF LOOK, WHATEVER
YOU WANT LET’S NOT TALK ABOUT
IT UNTIL AFTER NOVEMBER 8?
>> NO, IT WASN’T REALLY TIED
ABOUT IT I KNOW A LOT OF TALK
SPECULATION ABOUT IMPACT
MIDTERMS WE WERE AT COOLING
OFF PERIOD THERE RAILWAY LABOR
ACT -- HOW NEGOTIATES UNFOLDED
I DON’T THINK ANY POLITICAL
PARTY WAND TO SEE RAIL UNIONS
STRIKE IN SEPTEMBER ANY MORE
THAN THEY WANT TO SEE THEM
STRIKE NOW, I DON’T -- TIE
THAT TO MIDTERMS IT WAS
ATTEMPT TO TAKE SOMETHING TO
MEMBERS LET THE THEM DECIDE WE
CAN’T IMPLEMENT OR SIGN A
CONTRACT UNLESS MEMBERS RATIFY
IT.
>> THE, OF COURSE, WE HOPE
THIS WORKS OUT FOR YOU WE SO