Labor Strike

Before I begin, I will divulge that distant past relatives of mine have worked for the railroads for decades. I am not sure subsequent generations continued working for the railroads because my last contact with them was as a teenager. 

The American rail workers unions have been negotiating for at least 3 years regarding working standards, making demands which are completely reasonable. The negotiations have failed due to the rail companies, who have been posting record profits, refusing to meet those demands. Because of the failed contract negotiations, the workers had set a date to go on strike on December 9th. 

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Because of the impending strike, US president Joe Biden, who claims to be in favor of unions, has ordered Congress to create legislation ordering the rail workers back to work before the strike even begins. Congress has complied, with a bill which would grant the workers 7 paid sick days per year, which is a massive reduction from the 15 they are demanding. Even the 7 days of paid sick time is a separate measure which has passed in the House but may not pass the Senate. Once this happens it will basically be permanent. 

So, while the president and Congressional members claim to be in favor of workers rights and unions, this makes it entirely clear that they only support workers if those workers have no bargaining leverage. As soon as they use any leverage in their power, that leverage will be legislated out of existence. Their voices and rights are being silenced. So much for freedom of speech. 

These rail workers have been working as much as 14 hours per day, often allowed only one day off per month. Some numbers I heard state that the average income of male rail workers is around $62,000 a year, female workers only $42,000. I have not confirmed those numbers. The question is, what income level is worth sacrificing your health and your family life? 

Rail workers work in dangerous occupations. They are exposed frequently to toxic environments, with cancer and chronic respiratory illnesses occurring in these workers at a much higher than average rate. Meaning their occupations need more medical care and more time off to address these issues. Yet their lifespan will still be reduced. 

The hours they work are not necessary, as the rail companies have reduced their workforce by as much as 30% in only a few years, while posting record profits. This is not because of reduced rail transit. Instead, the remaining workers are being forced to take on the labor of the positions which have been eliminated. One rail company posted profits of over $1 billion in the third quarter of this year alone. These companies can well afford to meet the modest demands of the workers and would still maintain a profit. Just the hours alone also pose extreme risks to their health and lifespan, while obliterating their quality of life. 

Meanwhile, we have seen movements for unionizing by Amazon workers crushed and the first Starbucks to unionize is going to be closed. Corporations have been waging a war against workers and especially unions for decades and winning that war through lobbying, which amounts to nothing more than legalized bribery. Lobbying is considered illegal and corruption in most developed countries but not here. 

Events such as what the rail workers are going through at this time are why, in my previous policy proposals, I have suggested forming a national union. In other words, to unionize existing unions for stronger collective bargaining power. Each union would maintain their own identity but a national union would allow them to coordinate efforts and resources. This should be sanctioned by our government but not managed or controlled by the government. There should be monitoring under existing laws to weed out corruption so that decisions by unions are collective decisions, not decisions made by corrupt union leaders that are controlled by the very corporations and industries which they should be working in opposition to. All communications between union leaders and corporations or industry management by any means should be fully transparent. 

I also propose a national union because such a union would provide greater bargaining power to non-union citizens, including those unable to work. Supporting non-workers gave us such things as Social Security. If you only focus on workers, then if workers get laid off and the workforce is reduced, those workers lose their rights, benefits, income and representation. As it stands, people that are unable to work have no effective collective bargaining rights to represent their needs. Becoming a non-worker can happen through workforce reduction by any design including automation. If a worker has a chronic health condition because of their previous employment, their chances of acquiring adequate employment elsewhere is greatly reduced. 

As of this time, I completely support the rail workers continuing with the strike. It is estimated that if the rail workers do go on strike, it would cost the US economy $2 billion per day. Which means that such a strike would not last for long and the workers would achieve what they have asked for. 

I will go beyond this. In the same vein of a national union, I feel other unions should support the rail workers and also go on strike. This is what the workers of this country need to focus on, solidarity. All workers and citizens should be supportive of one another in these struggles. These obstacles affect all of us, whether we realize it or not. It should not take major events for us to realize this. A coordinated strike across multiple industries would be extremely effective in improving rights for workers in all industries. Truckers and airline workers should especially be in solidarity with the rail workers. A collective strike showing solidarity would also send a strong signal to all industries that workers are taking back their power. Workers built this country and the economy cannot function without all of us. 

If I am elected, my views on these things would not change. I will always remain concerned first and foremost with human rights, civil rights and workers rights. I believe that my policies fully reveal this in considerable detail. My policies are transparent and well defined. I offer no empty talking points, no vague rhetoric. At no point would I later claim I did not say something which I absolutely said and probably put in writing. None of my policy proposals will be deleted, they will remain available for later review. I admit some of them could use some fine tuning but that fine tuning would be dependent on open public communication with US citizens. No closed door negotiations, no back door deals. 

Workers and non-workers, union or non-union, have my support. From rail workers to airline workers, Starbucks, Amazon, Walmart, food processing, garment workers and across all fields have my full support. 

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