Biden avoids rail strike but jeopardizes his union support

[Eric]

On the fence with this one. Any employee deserves sick days and the fact that they get none is beyond ridiculous, at the same time they've signed on to many other changes. For Biden I think he had to make a political calculation to either back the union fully or risk the ire of the entire country by letting the economy sing as a result. He's between a rock and a hard place here.

Biden avoids rail strike but jeopardizes his union support

In trying to prevent a work stoppage that could've threatened the fragile economy, Biden risks alienating his key allies: labor activists and workers.

www.latimes.com

Joe Biden signed legislation imposing a deal he negotiated between freight railroads and organized labor, averting a possible strike but risking a divide with rank-and-file union workers who opposed the settlement.

“It was tough for me,” said Biden at a signing ceremony at the White House on Friday, while heralding the bill as the only option to avert a disastrous work stoppage that would have threatened key supply chains ahead of the Christmas holiday. “It was the right thing to do at the moment, to save jobs to protect millions of working families from harm and destruction, and to keep supply chain stable around the holidays.”

 

[lizkat]

The Democrats had put 7 days extra sick leave into the bill but that insertion would have required 60 votes in the Senate and didn't get them. So the Dems were sympathetic to the plight of the 4 unions who in particular had objected to the original contract because of the crap regs on sick pay. The GOP, not so much. What a surprise.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

They shouldn't have created 2 bills. Period. The only reason to do that is so that the sick leave bill will die in the Senate a la Build Back Better. Pathetic and blatant, not to mention Biden didn't even want the sick leave brought it. It's a clear betrayal of the RR unions and unions in general.

And why is the media asking union leaders if this is worth tanking the economy? Why don't they have the billionaire owners on who did billions in stock buybacks and executive pay while cutting the workforce by 30%. How about the media lead with that information and ask the owners why they are willing to tank the economy so they don't have to give their workers any paid sick leave.

 

[lizkat]

They shouldn't have created 2 bills. Period. The only reason to do that is so that the sick leave bill will die in the Senate a la Build Back Better. Pathetic and blatant, not to mention Biden didn't even want the sick leave brought it. It's a clear betrayal of the RR unions and unions in general.

And why is the media asking union leaders if this is worth tanking the economy? Why don't they have the billionaire owners on who did billions in stock buybacks and executive pay while cutting the workforce by 30%. How about the media lead with that information and ask the owners why they are willing to tank the economy so they don't have to give their workers any paid sick leave.

It's a little more complicated than that, and has been for a long time with respect to railroads anyway...

Joe Biden Isn't the First President to Take Drastic Action to Avoid a Rail Strike

The strike threat—and the threat to the national economy—isn't exactly over. And history has some lessons for lawmakers.

www.esquire.com

 

[Hrafn]

It's a little more complicated than that, and has been for a long time with respect to railroads anyway...

Joe Biden Isn't the First President to Take Drastic Action to Avoid a Rail Strike

The strike threat—and the threat to the national economy—isn't exactly over. And history has some lessons for lawmakers.

www.esquire.com

Pesky details...

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

It's a little more complicated than that, and has been for a long time with respect to railroads anyway...

Joe Biden Isn't the First President to Take Drastic Action to Avoid a Rail Strike

The strike threat—and the threat to the national economy—isn't exactly over. And history has some lessons for lawmakers.

www.esquire.com

I didn’t read anything in there that says it’s complicated. Biden blew this one and probably couldn’t have picked a worse time in modern history to continue to side with owners and shareholders. This is a perfect example of why the working class doesn’t trust or like Democrats. If anything good comes out of it it’s that the rest of the country got to see it first hand. This wasn’t some little regional fail that the big city people aren’t even aware of.

 

[Eric]

I didn’t read anything in there that says it’s complicated. Biden blew this one and probably couldn’t have picked a worse time in modern history to continue to side with owners and shareholders. This is a perfect example of why the working class doesn’t trust or like Democrats. If anything good comes out of it it’s that the rest of the country got to see it first hand. This wasn’t some little regional fail that the big city people aren’t even aware of.

Had he held out they would have striked, the economy would almost certainly tank for the entire country and they would draw it out with all the back and forth. This is one issue, while the union has a great case, that Biden can't afford to let go. He had to put the country first here.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

Had he held out they would have striked, the economy would almost certainly tank for the entire country and they would draw it out with all the back and forth. This is one issue, while the union has a great case, that Biden can't afford to let go. He had to put the country first here.

What he should have done is gone public with the railroads record profits, executive compensation, and stock buybacks and yet refusing to give their workers paid sick leave while overworking them by reducing employees by 30% to increase profits. He should have shamed the fuck out of them and then put the sick leave into legislation on ONE bill. Instead this is the government once again bailing out top level abuse.

I also don’t think it will be forgotten that he got the unions to agree to hold a potential strike off until after the midterms and then shafted them right after. Union leaders are getting slammed with this outrage from workers.

 

[lizkat]

I didn’t read anything in there that says it’s complicated. Biden blew this one and probably couldn’t have picked a worse time in modern history to continue to side with owners and shareholders. This is a perfect example of why the working class doesn’t trust or like Democrats. If anything good comes out of it it’s that the rest of the country got to see it first hand. This wasn’t some little regional fail that the big city people aren’t even aware of.

Look the government already had a hand in the actual negotiations when they were taking place, remember? Maybe it was and maybe it wasn't a big mistake not to have pressed for sick leave. I mean it's unconscionable these workers get like one personal day and that's it.

But the negotiators came to an agreement without that and the unions voted and 8 of the 12 went for it and four did not. So now for the government to not only hold up a "Stop!" sign on a strike but to unilaterally introduce renegotiation of contract details, what is that?

The railroad management would certainly get their backs up, the unions would strike in defiance of the order not to, or management would lock them out, and meanwhile no one gets their groceries or holiday presents duirng the first "sorta post-covid" winter that we've had since the coronavirus arrived...

There has to be a better way. AND a better time. Still I would not be suprised to see some wildcat strikes and in m heart I'd be handing out coffee and donuts... and Congress needs to make a good faith effort to do something about paid sick leave for all workers. It's right up there with universal daycare. 21st century USA and in some ways it might as well be 1912 and the textile workers' struggle to get out from under owners' boots.

 

[lizkat]

What he should have done is gone public with the railroads record profits, executive compensation, and stock buybacks and yet refusing to give their workers paid sick leave while overworking them by reducing employees by 30% to increase profits. He should have shamed the fuck out of them and then put the sick leave into legislation on ONE bill. Instead this is the government once again bailing out top level abuse.

I also don’t think it will be forgotten that he got the unions to agree to hold a potential strike off until after the midterms and then shafted them right after. Union leaders are getting slammed with this outrage from workers.

Well then the union leaders shouldn't have agreed to submit the contract to workers without the sick leave. They felt pressure from both management and the government facilitator, but it was their option to say no and even to strike back then. But It's idiotic to strike railroads before the holidays and expect the government not to step in, because there's precedent for having done that before and so it was going to happen again. And, it did.

I agree though that the railroads managed to put Biden in a bad place. And that he went there...

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

Well then the union leaders shouldn't have agreed to submit the contract to workers without the sick leave. They felt pressure from both management and the government facilitator, but it was their option to say no and even to strike back then. But It's idiotic to strike railroads before the holidays and expect the government not to step in, because there's precedent for having done that before and so it was going to happen again. And, it did.

I agree though that the railroads managed to put Biden in a bad place. And that he went there...

In your opinion why do you think they put the sick leave in a second bill?

 

[lizkat]

In your opinion why do you think they put the sick leave in a second bill?

Because there was some Republican support for it... I mean there WERE six GOP senators went for it.

Senate rejects proposal to give rail workers seven days of paid sick leave

The Senate voted on Thursday to reject a proposal to give railway workers seven days of sick leave, a benefit that was left out of a labor deal between freight rail companies and unionized workers that was brokered by the Biden administration. The proposal to give workers seven days of sick...

www.yahoo.com

Six Republicans voted for the sick leave measure: Sens. Mike Braun (Ind.), Ted Cruz (Texas), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Josh Hawley (Mo.), John Kennedy (La.) and Marco Rubio (Fla.).

Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) was the only Democrat to vote against the bill.

And as to why those guys went for it:

Voices: Why Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham voted with Bernie Sanders on the rail strike bill

Cruz and Sanders may have exchanged a fist bump, but six Republicans voting for sick leave for rail workers does not a worker’s party make.

news.yahoo.com

 

[ronntaylor]

The Biden Administration worked out the proposal that was rejected by key unions. They should have never put forward a proposal without paid sick days. No IFs, ANDs or BUTs about. Just like the last rejected proposal was worked out, they could have worked out another proposal with sick days. Therefore both sides would have gotten key concessions. To ram the proposal down the throats of the majority of those that already rejected it was a move. And it will come back to bite Biden-Harris in the ass.

It wouldn't surprise me that wildcat strikes will pop up. So in the end, it is a sandwich that everyone will have to nibble on and swallow.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

Because there was some Republican support for it... I mean there WERE six GOP senators went for it.

Senate rejects proposal to give rail workers seven days of paid sick leave

The Senate voted on Thursday to reject a proposal to give railway workers seven days of sick leave, a benefit that was left out of a labor deal between freight rail companies and unionized workers that was brokered by the Biden administration. The proposal to give workers seven days of sick...

www.yahoo.com

And as to why those guys went for it:

Voices: Why Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham voted with Bernie Sanders on the rail strike bill

Cruz and Sanders may have exchanged a fist bump, but six Republicans voting for sick leave for rail workers does not a worker’s party make.

news.yahoo.com

They should have put it in one bill. Then you‘d have the Republicans on the hook for torpedoing the economy because they don’t think workers deserve sick leave.

Instead we got standard neoliberal bullshit. The Biden administration probably went to management with "Hey, job creators! Love you guys! What’s the absolute minimum you will budge? Great, thanks." Then went to union leaders with "The most pro worker president in history would really appreciate if you’d take a month to debate this one and then after the midterms he’ll take care of you." And then the end result was "The economy! (As if that wasn’t thought of before) Sorry, not sorry."

A good part of the American people have been a source of never ending disappointment to me lately, but I highly doubt they’re going to put their Christmas presents (arriving on time, it’s not like they’d never arrive) over their fellow hardworking Americans not getting any sick leave from their billionaire owners. That’s more likely projection from the ruling class getting dictated through the stenographer media class.

One of the main reasons Trump supporters give for their support of Trump is they believe he fights for them. This is the exact opposite of that.

 

[Citysnaps]

Then you‘d have the Republicans on the hook for torpedoing the economy because they don’t think workers deserve sick leave.

We'd also have a torpedoed economy. One that's wrecked beyond what we have now.

 

[Eric]

The Biden Administration worked out the proposal that was rejected by key unions. They should have never put forward a proposal without paid sick days. No IFs, ANDs or BUTs about. Just like the last rejected proposal was worked out, they could have worked out another proposal with sick days. Therefore both sides would have gotten key concessions. To ram the proposal down the throats of the majority of those that already rejected it was a move. And it will come back to bite Biden-Harris in the ass.

It wouldn't surprise me that wildcat strikes will pop up. So in the end, it is a sandwich that everyone will have to nibble on and swallow.

Hard to argue this. I think the other side is that losing $2 billion per day would've cost him politically as well, there's no upside for Biden either way here.

 

[Alli]

They should have put it in one bill. Then you‘d have the Republicans on the hook for torpedoing the economy because they don’t think workers deserve sick leave.

The problem is, the Republicans have proven again and again that they don’t care. And their base doesn’t care until it affects them directly.

 

[lizkat]

I highly doubt they’re going to put their Christmas presents (arriving on time, it’s not like they’d never arrive) over their fellow hardworking Americans not getting any sick leave from their billionaire owners.

C'mon. People blamed Biden for the fricken cost of gas and inflation in general.

Anytime something stands between Americans and our "this, now, at this price" expectations, the guy in the Oval Office gets blamed. And in the case of a rail strike, it's not just Christmas presents, it's everything that travels by rail, so it's the chlorine for drinking water treatment and it's the rice and the beans and yeah the toilet paper.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

The problem is, the Republicans have proven again and again that they don’t care. And their base doesn’t care until it affects them directly.

And the Republicans torpedoing the economy over sick pay would affect them directly.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

C'mon. People blamed Biden for the fricken cost of gas and inflation in general.

Anytime something stands between Americans and our "this, now, at this price" expectations, the guy in the Oval Office gets blamed. And in the case of a rail strike, it's not just Christmas presents, it's everything that travels by rail, so it's the chlorine for drinking water treatment and it's the rice and the beans and yeah the toilet paper.

Some people blame Biden. I wouldn’t even say a majority of the right believes that. A recent Fox poll showed that. I believe it was just barely over half…and that’s people who take Fox polls…and half the country isn’t Republican (or Democrat). People need to seriously flush the "half the country" narrative the media preaches down the toilet.

Again, make the point of what this is really about…billionaires refusing paid sick leave. It’s really not that complicated to understand or tell. Again, ask the owners why they are willing to torpedo the economy just so they don’t have to give their workers sick leave.

I can’t think of a more blatant example of Democrats being weak and not fighting for workers.