Regardless of the immediate mechanical failure, the true cause of this catastrophe is the insatiable greed of Norfolk Southern and other Class I rail carriers, who have pushed for longer trains with smaller crews.
As far as management is concerned, the “contract” is only binding on us workers. They feel emboldened because they know they have not only Congress on their side, but the union apparatus.
As far as management, Congress and the corrupt union apparatus are concerned, the contract is only “binding” upon workers, while the railroads are free to flaunt it whenever convenient.
Rail workers have captured the nation’s attention since September, when their showdown with the Class I freight railroads reached a near-breaking point. Now, in the fallout of what many members feel has been a botched negotiations process, some are taking action in their union halls. After three years of negotiations, a contract rejection, and a strike authorization, the union
The picket, the latest in a series of informational pickets initiated by the Railroad Workers Rank-and-File Committee, was held to organize workers against the deliberate violation of the will of railroaders by the union apparatus and to build support for the railroaders within the general public.