Workers say now is the time to do the impossible.
by Kari Lydersen, In These Times
Railroad workers packed themselves into hotel conference rooms near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in June 2022 to talk fervently about a momentous event potentially on the horizon: the first industry-wide rail strike in three decades.
“All 12 railroad unions have proclaimed themselves united,” said Ron Kaminkow, Railroad Workers United (RWU) general secretary, during a conference session about chokepoints in the supply chain. “There could actually be a national railroad strike for the first time in almost 30 years.”
Contract negotiations between those 12 unions and the country’s major freight railroad companies had ground to a halt by the conference, which was organized by RWU and the pro-union group Labor Notes.
In July, 99.5% of the membership of the union representing railroad engineers — the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen — voted to authorize a strike if legal hurdles were cleared.
Recent Posts
Israel Escalates its Aggression on Lebanon After Ceasefire Extension
Take Action Now Hezbollah reaffirmed that it does not trust the ceasefire negotiations, and vowed to continue resistance against the IOF.By Aseel…
From Student Encampments to the DNC Divide, A Zero Hour Conversation With Nadia Ahmad
Take Action Now Attorney/activist Nadia Ahmad helps us trace the arc.By RJ Eskow and Nadia Ahmad, The Zero Hour Report Two years ago, the nation…
The World is Getting Too Hot to Feed Itself
Take Action Now A new U.N. report maps how extreme heat is tearing through every layer of the global food system — and mostly overlooks the people at…
Cuba’s Fate Should Not Be in U.S. Hands
Take Action Now U.S. officials are relying on Trump’s executive order of January 29 which, without evidence, accused Cuba of being an “extraordinary…