I’M A BIG FAN TOO.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THE HOUSE VOTING TO APPROVE A
BILL TO AVERT A RAILROAD STRIKE
WHICH IS LIKELY TO PASS IN THE
SENATE.
THEY NEED 60 VOTES.
A SEPARATE MEASURE ALSO PASSED
TO ADD SEVEN DAYS OF PAID SICK
LEAVE TO THE EXISTING AGREEMENT.
THIS COMES AFTER SEVERAL UNIONS
REJECTED THE DEAL, FOUR UNIONS
REPRESENTING THE MAJORITY OF
UNION WORKERS REJECT TEDED IT.
THIS CAUSED PRESIDENT BIDEN TO
FORCE CONGRESS’ HAND INSTEAD OF
RETURNING TO THE NEGOTIATING
TABLE.
JOINING ME NOW IS BROTHERHOOD OF
RAILROAD SINGLEMAN PRESIDENT,
MICHAEL BALDWIN IS HERE.
BRS WAS THE SECOND UNION TO
REJECT THE DEAL IN
MID-SEPTEMBER.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
WE’RE ALL STUNNED THAT THE
CONGRESS IS BASICALLY FORCING
YOU TO ACCEPT WHAT THEY’RE
PUTTING IN FRONT OF YOU.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS?
>> GOOD MORNING, MARIA.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME BACK ON.
I WOULD SAY THAT WE HAD
INITIALLY INDICATED TO CONGRESS
THAT WE WOULD LIKE FOR THEM TO
STAY OUT OF THE PROCESS HE’S, WE
WOULD LIKE FOR THEM TO ALLOW US
TO COMPLETE OUR PROCESS UNDER
THE RAILWAY LABOR ACT.
AT THE SAME TIME, WE ALSO
UNDERSTAND THAT CONGRESS HAS A
RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT THE
ECONOMY.
SO WE KNOW WHY THEY’RE DOING IT
BUT WE DON’T NECESSARILY AGREE
WITH IT.
OUR MEMBERS WOULD HAVE LIKED TO
HAVE SEEN THIS THROUGH TO THE
END AND THE ABILITY FOR
SELF-HELP BY BOTH PARTIES IS
SORT OF WHAT GIVES YOU SOME
LEVERAGE AT THE TABLE, MARIA.
MARIA: TELL US ABOUT THE
STICKING POINTS.
THIS PRESIDENTIAL EMERGENCY
BOARD DEAL PROVIDED A 14.1%
IMMEDIATE PAY HIKE ALONG WITH
4.8% HIKE IN THE FINAL TWO YEARS
OF THE CONTRACT.
BUT YOU WANTED MORE SICK TIME,
RIGHT, PAID SICK TIME.
TELL ME WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT
TO YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES.
>> SURE.
SO LET ME SAY THIS FIRST.
THE 14% YOU REFERENCED IS IN THE
FIRST THREE YEARS OF THE
CONTRACT WHICH WE HAVE BEEN IN
BARGAINING FOR THREE YEARS NOW.
THAT 14% FALLS AROUND 2
AND-A-HALF TO 3% BELOW INFLATION
FOR THOSE FIRST THREE YEARS SO
WE’RE BEHIND THE 8 BALL ON THE
INFLATION PIECE AS FAR AS THE
WAGES.
THE 23 AND 24, THE LAST TWO
YEARS, WE DON’T KNOW WHAT
INFLATION IS GOING TO BE AT.
WE COULD STILL BE TREADING WATER
OR MAYBE WE CAN GET AHEAD A
LITTLE BIT BUT THE STICKING
POINT IS THE SICK TIME.
IT’S AN ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN
AROUND FOR A LONG TIME
INDIVIDUALS COMING TO WORK WITH
THE FLU AND OTHER SICKNESSES AND
SPREADING IT.
THAT NOT ONLY AFFECTS THE
MEMBERS.
IT ALSO AFFECTS THE EMPLOYER,
THEIR ABILITY TO HAVE EMPLOYEES
THAT ARE THERE TO WORK RATHER
THAN BEING SICK.
THE PANDEMIC SHOWED A SPOTLIGHT
ON THIS.
WE HAD MEMBERS THAT WERE
QUARANTINED OR FORCED TO
QUARANTINE BY THEIR EMPLOYER AND
NOT PAID FOR IT.
YOU KNOW, THESE PEOPLE NEED TO
HAVE THE ABILITY TO TAKE A DAY
OFF SICK IF THEY’RE SICK AND NOT
COME TO WORK AND INFECT THEIR
MEMBERS OR IF THEIR CHILD OR
SPOUSE HAS AN ILLNESS THAT THEY
NEED TO TAKE CARE OF.
MARIA: LOOK, LARRY LINDSEY FROM
THE LINDSEY GROUP WROTE THIS IS
NOT A WAY TO RUN A RAILROAD OR A
COUNTRY.
THIS IS ABOUT DIGNITY.
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT MONEY.
DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT?
WHAT IS THE ISSUE?
IS THIS ABOUT DIGNITY?
>> THE RAILROADS BEGAN TO IGNORE
THE DIGNITY OF THEIR EMPLOYEES
ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO WITH A NEW
BUSINESS MODEL CALLED PRECISION
SCHEDULED RAILROADING AND THAT
HAS AS YOU KNOW REDUCED THE
WORKFORCE BY ROUGHLY 30%.
THIS IS AN ISSUE.
THIS BRINGS TO LIGHT EXACTLY HOW
THESE -- OUR MEMBERS AND THE
RAILROADS’ EMPLOYEES FEEL AND
THE RAIDRAILROADS HAVE BEEN MORE
FOCUSED ON THE PROFITS AND THEY
MAKE THOSE PROFITS BY THE CUTS
THEY MAKE, BY PARKING AND
MOTHBALLING EQUIPMENT AND
FURLOUGHING EMPLOYEES AND YOU’RE
IN A SITUATION NOW WHERE THEY
CAN’T HIRE ENOUGH OR RETAIN
ENOUGH EMPLOYEES.
SO SICK TIME OBVIOUSLY WOULD BE
SOMETHING THAT WOULD DRAW PEOPLE
TO THE INDUSTRY AND WANT THEM
MANY TO STAY HERE ALONG WITH
THEIR OWN BENEFITS.
AGAIN, THE ABILITY TO HAVE THAT
TIME AND, YES, DIGNITY AND
REALLY, MARIA, THIS IS A
HUMANITARIAN ISSUE AND IT’S A
BIPARTISAN ISSUE AND WE WOULD
LIKE TO SEE CONGRESS RESOLVE
THIS ISSUE FOR US.
MARIA: WELL, I MEAN, PUTTING
THIS IN FRONT OF YOU, FORCING
YOU TO GET BACK TO WORK AND NOT
STRIKE IS OBVIOUSLY DENYING YOU
ANY ABILITY TO STRIKE.
SO WOULD YOU SAY THAT AT THIS
POINT THERE WILL BE NO STRIKE?
>> IF THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE TA,
WHICH WOULD BE THE FIRST BILL
THAT THE HOUSE TOOK UP, IF THAT
PASSES THROUGH THE SENATE, THEN
THAT CAN GO TO THE PRESIDENT’S
DESK FOR SIGNATURE.
ONCE THAT’S SIGNED, THAT IS LAW
FOR EMPLOYEES, OUR UNIONS AND
THE INDUSTRY TO HOLD A STRIKE
WOULD BE ILLEGAL.
MARIA: SO WHAT ARE THE
RAMIFICATIONS OF THAT, THEN?
HOW DO THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE
REJECTING THIS DEAL, YOUR
COLLEAGUES WHO SAID, LOOK, THIS
IS NOT THE DEAL THAT IS
APPROPRIATE FOR US, WE WERE
DEEMED ESSENTIAL WORKERS DURING
THE COVID PANDEMIC AND WE NEED
THE PAID SICK TIME.
WHAT WILL THAT DO OVER TIME DO
YOU THINK TO EMPLOYEES IF YOU
ARE DENIED THAT RIGHT AND IT’S LAW, YOU CANNOT STRIKE?
LAW, YOU CANNOT STRIKE?
>> IT CREATES A POLITICAL NOT
DISSENSION BUT PEOPLE DON’T
TRUST THE SYSTEM.
THEY FEEL THAT THEIR RIGHT TO
STRIKE OR THEY FEEL THE ABILITY
TO HAVE LEVERAGE AT THE
BARGAINING TABLE -- AGAIN, I
THINK I TOLD YOU THIS LAST TIME.
THE STRIKE IS A LAST THING WE
WANT.
WE WANT TO COME TO A RESOLUTION
WITH THE RAILROADS AT THE TABLE.
WE WENT TO MEDIATION AND WE HAD
A PRESIDENTIAL EMERGENCY BOARDS.
THE PARTIES WOULD OR SHOULD HAVE
RESOLVED THAT BEFORE THEN BUT WE
CAN’T GET THEM TO MOVE.
AFTER WE FAILED RAT RATIFICATION
OURSELVES AND OTHER UNIONS WENT
BACK TO THE TABLE, AND WE ASKED
FOR SICK TIME.
AND THEN WE REDUCED THE ASK TO
FOUR DAYS AND NEITHER INSTANCE
DID THE RAILROAD EVEN BEGIN TO
MOVE IN OUR DIRECTION OR ENGAGE
AND GIVE US A COUNTER OFFER.
MARIA: IS THERE A CHANCE THAT
THIS SEPARATE BILL WHICH IS
PROVIDING SEVEN DAYS OF
ADDITIONAL SICK LEAVE, PAID, IS
THERE A CHANCE THAT DOESN’T PASS
AND YOU END UP WITH WHAT YOU GOT
AND THAT’S ONE ADDITIONAL DAY
AND THAT’S IT AND HOW DO YOU
ANSWER THE CRITICISM THAT SO
MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SAYING
THAT THIS DEAL IS GENEROUS
ENOUGH.
OVERALL, IT’S A 24% RAISE.
WHO GETS THAT?
AND YOU’RE GETTING THAT.
>> IT IS A GOOD RAISE A.
IT IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST
PERCENTAGES.
AGAIN, WE DON’T KNOW YET IF
WE’RE GOING TO KEEP UP WITH
INFLATION.
WE’RE CURRENTLY TREADING WATER
IN THE FIRST THREE YEARS.
SO THAT’S YET TO BE SEEN.
HEYES, AND FOR THE BILL ENFORCIN
THE TA AsAs COULD MOVE THROUGH I
THE SENATE, THE BILL FOR THE
SEVEN SICK DAYS COULD FAIL.
WE’VE BEEN HERE IN WASHINGTON,
D.C., WE’RE TRYING TO GARNER
SUPPORT FOR THIS AND WE HOPE, WE
REALLY HOPE THAT THE SENATORS IN
THIS COUNTRY MAKE THE RIGHT
DECISION.
THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT RAIL
EMPLOYEES NOW.
THIS IS ABOUT THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
THERE ARE COMPANIES, 80% OF THE
COMPANIES IN THIS COUNTRY
PROVIDE SOME SORT OF PAID SICK
TIME TO THEIR EMPLOYEES.
WE’RE NOT ASKING FOR ANYTHING
MORE THAN THE REST OF THE
COUNTRY GETS.
I WOULD ASK HOW MANY SICK DAYS
OR HOW MUCH TIME DOES A SENATOR
GET OFF?
WE HAVE RAILROADS WHOSE MANAGERS
HAVE PAID SICK TIME BUT THEY
DON’T WANT TO GIVE IT TO THEIR
RANK AND FILE EMPLOYEES AT THE
BARGAINING TABLE.
MARIA: DO YOU THINK OTHER
UNIONS ARE WATCHING THIS AND
PERHAPS COULD ALSO LOOK TO
STRIKE, GIVEN THE BENEFITS THAT
YOU’LL END UP GETTING?
>> IF YOU’RE REFERENCING WITHIN
THE INDUSTRY, THE FOUR THAT
FAILED RATFICATION WE WILL BE IN
THE SAME BOAT, THE SAME
SITUATION IF THIS ENFORCED TA
BILL MAKES IT THROUGH AND IS
SIGNED INTO LAW AND IF THE SEVEN
DAYS DON’T MAKE IT THROUGH WE’RE
ALL IN THE SAME SITUATION.
ONCE THAT’S SIGNED INTO LAW IT
WILL BE ILLEGAL TO STRIKE.
MARIA: MICHAEL, IT’S GREAT TO
HAVE YOU YOU.
PLEASE COME BACK SOON.