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.

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…