Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Anybody here ever gone through a work strike?

My union just authorized a membership poll to vote on a strike. I believe it will pass resoundingly. Never been through one and given the industry I am in (railroad) I never thought I would be? If any of you have been, I would like to hear about it.

You probably won't be allowed to. That said unions are only in it for themselves. In the early 80's SWBT struck at the behest of the union. It lasted two weeks. Customers suffered. Employees suffered. Supervisors suffered because they had no clue how to do the work. They ended up going back to work for less than they were offered before the strike. The union however made money.

We grunts were encouraged to walk out on a "sympathy strike" when I worked at Weyerhaeuser in Oregon, for a union beef in Georgia for Petes sake. About 1 in 3 stayed at work. Got the stinkeye from the usual union diehards, shop stewards and the usual piss poor employees that the union continually protected. They say you NEVER make up the money you lost by striking,
If they had scheduled these walkouts during good weather when I could take the family camping, I might have been a better union member.

Lots of intelligence in this post. And I’m not being sarcastic.

Is railroad allowed to strike?

Good friend was Norfolk southern. I thought I remember him saying railroad couldn’t strike. They could arrest you guys for refusing to work or some crap since your federally essential or some jazz???

He quit a few years back when he realized as a conductor/engineer he would never be able to be home and have a life/family

The only strike action I was ever involved with was a pair illegal blue flu walkouts at a steel mill. The place had no safety rules and no safety department. They hurt and killed a lot of people.

The first walkout was instigated when an employee with an injury (workman's comp) informed his supervisor, at the beginning of shift, that he had an appointment with his personal doctor that afternoon, and that he would be absent for a brief time. The supervisor called the employee's doctor and cancelled his appointment. At first coffee break the supervisor informed the employee that his doctor visit had been cancelled and that he could not leave work.
So... Instead of 1 guy leaving for a couple of hours, 2000 guys left for 72 hours.

Instead of one guy poking his supervisor in the nose and getting fired, when the egregious violation of his right to medical care was ignored, the whole place acted to back him.

The supervisor who cancelled his appointment was promoted twice in 6 months time, until his performance became detrimental to the company and he was discharged.

The second blue flu walkout occurred 60 days later as a result of the company agreeing to hear grievance arguments stemming from the first walkout, and then failing to show up at the appointed time, when union officials had traveled to appear for it.

Something of this jogs my memory as well. Now with the situation being the delivery of essentials so backed up it will. E interesting how this plays out and how it is perceived.
Given the media these days is generally sympathetic to unions now but again the shortages already present the union may not have media support. Without that I think your union hierarchy will ultimately leave you guys dangling in the wind.
No matter what doing a strike now will not put you in a good public light.
I have been thru two union strikes and one organizational effort in the past.

Osky

If your Union authorized a poll, what will happen next is the membership will vote on the decision to strike. If they vote in the affirmative that decision will be sent to your Union President, he will determine if the dispute is a major or minor dispute . If it is a major he may authorize the strike. In reality what is most likely to happen is after the decision the Union will negotiate with the carrier to comply with your collective bargaining agreement and the strike will be averted.

Pay your money boys and do what they tell ya to do.


Artic Lemmings.......

Yes.

I resigned from the union, made a ton of money. Watched idiots throw away seven weeks of pay, then take the same contact they rejected initially except they lost a $1,000 signing bonus the original had.

Left. Happier by far at a place that isn't allowed to strike.

[bleep] MNA with a rusty cactus.

We went on strike several times, had money saved, no brag deal for me, but others were hurt.

How exactly do you resign from a union. You don't work for them.

You can, then they "fair share" you

I was in a Teamsters strike maybe 40 years ago. I learned a lot about how the unions work with that one. Management offered a contract and the union president recommended that we vote against it. The business agent came to our local to conduct the vote and he wouldn't even tell us what was in the contract. He said that the president recommended that we vote against it and that was what we were going to do. He about had a riot on his hands. He was finally forced to read it and it was actually pretty good. Our local overwhelmingly voted for it but on a national scale, it was voted down.
This was post Jimmy Hoffa but still in the depth of corruption. In those days, rank and file couldn't vote for union officers. They were appointed among themselves...'themselves' meaning the mob. Around 1990 the feds finally broke up that game and gave the vote back to the members.

Went on strike once when I worked for Safeway(Retail clerks).We weren't getting any funds from the strike fund-money was gone, but the union reps were getting paid as they came by telling us to stay strong. Realized that the whole deal was to benifit the union. Haven't had much respect or use for unions since.

Couple of em.
Drove through picket line at a GM one when I worked as a contract tech.
People I knew blamed me for one of theirs losing a job LOL.... Told em a position was open, I filled it.....I didnt create the position.

Got a problem? Dont blame me, blame whoever created the position. Half of the upset people couldnt figure that out.

Democrats aint bright.

Other one at a diff company was no big deal.
A couple upset folks but most knew the drill and how its a game.

I had repeated threats of getting beat up or my truck vandized at the GM one.

Not scared. Just relayed some valuable info and was left alone. LOL

There was a form I filled out.

Each state is different. I don't have to be in the union to work in MN, but there is still some stupid fee they get out of your pay.

Again, [bleep] MNA with a rusty cactus

Railroad strikes are unlikely (at least with the class 1 railroads) last being in 1991 I believe, under the 150 some odd year old Federal National Railroad labor Act which by law imposes a strict mediation procedure. The Act was last amended in 1966 and again I believe in 2015 making it even harder. Believe the act also covers Airlines and all major forms of transportation too.

Phil

Think of what a week or two of lost wages would cost and then figure out how much of a hourly pay raise it would take to make up that money. Overall, you’re probably going to lose money while at the same time the union (bosses, etc) will make their normal pay and get their pay goes up if yours goes up. But…….they didn’t lose money on strike.