Originally Posted by taylorce1
Originally Posted by FreeMe
Want me to make an educated guess?
I'm not psychic and I no longer have current inside info, but I wouldn't be surprised if BLET president Pierce is betting on a favorable PEB appointed by Biden. And if it comes to that, I'd be surprised if that PEB didn't protect the railroads. Just Like Every Time.
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We've already had a PEB board, we're just at the end of the 30 day cooling off period.

Thanks. I had forgotten the time line of the process there. Since I'm retired, my interest has slipped.

So Pierce was betting on a favorable PEB, but didn't get that in his opinion and the opinion of the rank & file (no surprise). The thing that gets me is how the rail union leadership (and mostly just the leadership) acts like they believe a Democrat administration will be their saviour, and barring that, a Democrat owned congress will allow a protracted strike. They entertain this fantasy (perhaps, selling the snake oil) every time, and every time, they're disappointed. And then the rank & file slap the leadership on the back and reelect the same group of leaders. I can guarantee that there are a lot of rails, including some local union leaders, who see the folly in this but they are outnumbered.

So - my expectation is that this will go just like almost every other contract negotiation of the last 40 years, and the PEB will be applied. I'm prepared to be surprised though, based on the current crop of Democrat politicians' penchant for doubling down on stupid. Ironically, I can't decide on which outcome I prefer. A protracted rail strike right now would not bode well for Democrats in the coming election, assuming we still actually have elections.

Lunatic fringe....we all know you're out there.