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.

Unions were very valuable back in the day.

Now they’re a scam.




P

This action is being driven by the employees, not the union. The dispute is not over wages. It is over a new attendance policy. We work on call 24-7-365. We get no holidays and in some service no rest days. According to the new policy, if I lay off one day every two weeks beginning February 1st, I will be terminated by mid April.

Almost 6 months during the Texas City Marathon strike.The company forced it and we lost big time.Most folks live too well these days to last long without a paycheck coming in.

Railroads are a different beast because of interstate commerce. What Union is representing you? Also, I believe what you are talking about would be considered a "wildcat" strike in which case a judge could order you back to work. What railroad if you can say.

Do you get paid for being on call?

Was this policy in place when you accepted the job?

It appears that the union has agreed to the new work rules.

Also looking like the board is running to generate maximum pay for union members.

So your issue is the board and how much time you have been runs.

we went on strike at Johns Manville when the company snack bar raised co colas from a nickel to dime.
Bastards!!!!

Yup and the gamesters know it.

Union and mgmnt in bed together. They never lose.

The rank and file pays the price.

And most of them too stupid to see it ( democrats ).

You can spot em, they wear the union themed T shirts.

The clever use of propaganda, and an armed group of fat guys would of avoided the strike entirely.

My union pension is a whopping 190.00 a month after putting money in for 18 years. Bastards stole all the money out, claiming bad investments

The fact that this dispute is over a company (policy) and not over a legally binding collective bargaining agreement , will almost certainly be deemed a minor dispute and it is very unlikely that a strike would not be legal, and therefore would almost certainly be denied by the Union president . Any policy that is unreasonable would have to be arbitrated thru the National mediation board.

No and no. We are paid by the round trip.

Bnsf is the re

Been on two labor strikes. First time was back in the mid '70s. The workforce had just voted yes overwhelmingly for union representation but the company disregarded the vote and refused to accept the union. Strike lasted around 4 months. The company finally was forced to accept the Yes vote per NLRB ruling.

Second time was in late '90s, same company but operating under a different name now having been sold a couple of times. Strike started out as a International encouraged, supported and authorized strike . The official strike itself only lasted a couple of weeks or so when the union membership voted to return to their jobs and work under the terms of the old contract while the union and company negotiators hash out an acceptable contract. As soon as the company found out about the return to work vote they instituted a formal 'lockout' preventing any of the hourly employees from stepping foot on company property which meant they also had to get rid of all union employees that had sneaked back and were working as 'scabs', too.

We remained 'locked out' for a bit over 4 years. The company ran with contract workers who worked through a company that specialized in working labor strikes. What happened next was the real kick in the gonads, though. After repeatedly promising to be there backing and supporting us for "forever and a day" the International pulled our local's charter and left the membership hanging with no support whatsoever and went on like we never existed. In the end it was the union hierarchy that did us much, much dirtier than the company.

Almost, twice on the management side. I slept on a cot in my office awaiting the call to escort the union folks to the gate to ensure the continued safe operation of the refinery.

Way back then, the railroads and meat packers, among others, were horrible places to work and the workers were treated like garbage. It took the unions and very strong hands to get decent working conditions and pay. Those days are gone now but the unions are still with us. About all they can do now is try for more pay and higher union dues. Apparently the situation in CA with all the unloaded containers is largely caused by the unions.

A miner here in PA just died the other day. We have OSHA trying to mandate vaccines. Im not goin on and on, but unions are needed as much today and the day they started. Yes, some unions rape the employees, but damnit they still serve a purpose for most.

Not trying to be an ass hole but why are you on here asking instead of talking to the union? What union represents you? Are you well versed in their constitution and bylaws?

Almost always the contract is between the international and the company, not the local and the company. So when you said "my union" who are you speaking of? If its your locals president or other such board member/board, they got backing from the international.

"This action is being driven by the employees, not the union." BS. Once again, the employees cannot do schit without the unions backing. The employees may have bitched, file a grievance, regardless its up to the union to organize a poll/vote. There are consequences(union dependent) for employees who undertake such actions on their own.....THAT is called a wildcat strike. If you arent hearing that term thrown around and youre not getting ripped out by the union.....then it was backed by the union. Period.

Back in the 80s if you crossed a Teamster picket line there would be some head busting . Too many video cameras now .

Still happens....cameras dont mean schit. How does anyone know it was a Teamster? Serious question.

Answer to your question - no.

Advice, prepare to be FU.CKED by the long dick of Uncle Warren

Was in one on the management side. Union essentially refused to negotiate. We hired, trained and installed a new work force. The union then agreed to come back to work. We told them they had been replaced. We offered them a severance package, if they took it, they could not ever come back to work at this facility. If they refused the severance, they were put on a list to be called when an opening occurred. About 80 took the severance and lost their $60,000
plus annual income with good benefits. About 30 chose to go on the list to be called when there was an opening. Over 3-5 years most of those on the list to be called back did get a call. Some had moved on, some had retired and a few returned to work. This took place in 2002, so a while ago. After the strike and replacement of the work force, this facility became considerably more productive and the safety results went from dangerous to winning national awards for personnel safety.
The strike and resulting outcome saved the plant from closing.

Comments have been made that a striker can never recover what was lost. I asked my father this when I was still a wet behind the ears kid. His reply was that he didn't expect to but that what they were doing was to protect the workers who would follow. For many years within our area wages and benefits followed what had been won by the major union.

Several decades later the company, which at its peak had employed about 22,000 employees, closed its doors. Actually they just relocated their production locations. It is evident that companies do what is favourable to their bottom line and for the most part don't have much concern for their employees unless they fight for themselves.

I know the pros and cons of this type of discussion could go on forever, but am just pointing out there is more than one side to this story.

Jim

Thats what its all about. You may lose in the short term, but those after you will benefit. And not just those in that union and that company. Non union companies in the local area, and sometimes much further, benefit also.

Its funny how folks think, or how little. Those safety standards they take for granted....or quite frankly dont even know about...wasnt gov looking out for you. Folks suffered, and someone, most times labor lobbyists, pushing for that change.

Solidarity means nothing to them, its every man for themselves....unless youre talking about the 2nd Amendment. Then theyll take every willing body they can.

I am simply asking for other people's experiences, that is all. Read my original quote. When I said the action is being driven by the employees I meant that we have (systemwide) petitioned the National for permission to poll the membership to strike. This was not an order handed down from above ordering us to do same. This is not a wildcat strike, all proper procedures have been followed.

I thank those of you thus far who have answered my original question.

Our plant was on strike for most of the month of March, 2021, first time in over 40 years.
The way it works for us is when a new contract is negotiated, and presented to the memberships for a vote, the ballot options are either accept or strike, pick one. It doesn’t mean you’re going to strike, it usually results in returning to the table for further negotiations under a contract extension.
Ours strike vote had nothing to with money.
I don’t post often, but I’ve always stayed away from “union” threads as they seem to always go down hill quickly.
If you’re looking for something specific, you can pm me.

Goodyear Tire in Union City TN went on strike every time they could. Goodyear closed and everybody lost their jobs.

We take a strike vote BEFORE every contract negotiation.

It's like earnest money in a financial deal.

Just shows sincerity.

After negotiating, the officers bring us a proposal to vote on.
If we turn it down, they go back to the table and try to address the concerns.
There hasn't been a strike there in over 30 years, and won't be this fall
at the end of the current contract. The guys live beyond their means, can't
afford to lose a weeks pay, and have no balls. It's a shame, and a disgrace to
those who fought to get good wages.

They will offer 3% raises per year, if we are lucky.
Inflation is 7%, and our insurance will go up while coverage falls.
And they will cower and let their lifestyle fall further.

But it won't matter as long as the bank keeps approvingloans for toys,
And Visa pays for vacations.

I’m not gonna get a 3% raise.

Didn’t last year, either.

And I’m a high performer.




P

We did the same this summer. Vote to authorize a strike. Overwhelming aporoval. Contract ended Oct 1. Working under existing contract. Seeking increase in retirement, 3.5% wage + match in COLA. Increase in vacation for new hires. Keep existing insurance package. Increase in short term disability wages.

Company proposed decreases across the board. Gonna be interesting to say the least. Ace up our sleeve, gov needs product. We will strike. And they know it. Contract will be ratified by April or schits gonna hit the fan.

I feel like it's been union strike at my work with all the pussies who are out for sniffles.

Unfortunately Unions are a necessary evil. Worked both sides of the fence for the same company. On strike for about 4 months. Later on worked about 6 weeks after I was on Staff pay and union employees were on strike.
Didn’t have a good feeling after either experience. Some companies will take advantage of employees without a union.
Hasbeen

If you don’t like your wages, get a better job.

Maybe you should unionize?

Why, when you can get a raise at your current job?

Good luck ND.

I’ve been a union carpenter for 51 years. Been through a few Strikes no worries! They don’t normally last to long.

I’m proud to be a union man ! Both my brothers were union iron workers, local 340 and I belong to local 100.

I was management and had to go in. I was a long strike that lasted about 4 or 5 months.
I was glad when it was over.

I was a charter pilot in August of 1981 when the Air Traffic Controllers went on strike............... Reagan gave them 3 days to get back to work or 'you're fired'..........

Something like 85% got fired!

Trying to get a time to fly was a bit of a challenge. On the good side if you didn't get airborne within 15 minutes of your slot you lost it. So when you told the passengers when they needed to be back ......... they were.......

15 months later I replaced one of the strikers........................

Not quite the same thing though!

Been through several strikes as an operating engineer overseeing a bunch of teamsters and laborers. None lasted too long.

Never was a huge fan of unions but it was a requirement for the heavy construction field guys where I worked.

A union pension is pretty sweet.

It sure sounds as if the raise you get might not offset the wages you lose.

I’m not working to benefit the next guy, I got bills of my own.

I’m not complaining. I’m happy as hell with my wages.

A couple of times I wasn’t, so I went looking and found a better job.



P

Whether youre management or union, this is where you look when you want "a better job" in this area.

Now, if you wanna spend 2 hrs in traffic every day and sit in a cubicle kissin everyones dick as they walk by you can make more money heading to Bmore. No thanks.

Not a surprise. I heard from the non-union peers of mine that temporarily replaced the hourly found ways to improve operations. Win win.

I am surprised that the largely right membership here has some that favor unions...

My youngest son is "management", an engineer in a SE Texas refinery (the largest in the country) and word is that Exxon Mobil is playing serious hardball with current negotiations. Looks bright.

Only a couple.

Fück unions

Hildabeast, Obama, OBiden, and the whole crew love em though.

I'm pretty "Right".

But I also believe that employee/employer relationships should be....
fair. (But fair isn't right)
It's awful hard to explain.

I've lived in this region all my life.
The big employers workers either received government help to survive,
Or they were union.

I don't think the time is over for unions, it needs to come.

But there is a huge problem. They have always had at least as many
drawbacks as benefits. In the big picture.

Ideally,
they would choose political friends that would benefit the workers.
They would ruthlessly hunt down corruption in their ranks.
They would make every decision to benefit the body of the members.


Pie in the sky stuff. (Dam shame)

About as much of a fairy tail as thinking that employers would
try to compensate employees as well as possible. Keeping the
janitor off assistance and able to drive a decent car, instead of
a beech house and a ski lodge and a mountain cabin....


Sure, you will run on about education, and your illustrious career
(Which you worked your way into, and earned)
But project engineers aren't [bleep] without guys who do the work.


The next argument is to move.
Where?
Just as migrants ruin construction jobs in the cities,
If every hillbilly moved to where the jobs pay good,
those places would soon see wages drop.


The whole dam topic is basically economics.
And that is never as simple as the first 10 thought on any topic.

I've been through 2. One in September of '93 at Oshkosh in Celina, Tn. and another in March 2019, at Cummins Filtration in Cookeville, Tn.

You have to be one helluva talentless azzhole to need to rely on unions.

Rely? Id say most union members choose to be. And the lowest wage is our janitors, 24.63/hr. offered 10 hr days(OT) and time and half on sat, double on sunday...if they want it. Pretty good pension. Id say thats talent, choosing wages and benefits much higher than any other janitor in the area...by far.

I'm 62 and retired with a good pension, how about you? Full coverage BC/BS, Delta Dental and prescription coverage costs $310 total a month for my wife and I, how about you? People wouldn't dare to go to court without a lawyer to fight the other side's lawyer but some think that they can negotiate on an even basis with a billion dollar corporation.
I've found that many anti-union people are just jealous because they didn't get a union job when they were young and now don't know when/if they'll ever be able to retire.

I sure that helps with the sustainability of the company...

I believe hes better off than either of us lol. But that dont mean we arent doin well.

They got plenty. Defense.

There is much better money for the talented enterprising who don't have to rely on a group of grab azz dumbfuq unioners.

Wait... are you the dumazz who said earlier in the thread something like... "you strike for the future generations"???

lol.... is this supposed to impress people?!?!?!

That doesn’t describe me, not by a jug full.




P

You arent just negotiating for yourself.

That's true. You're also negotiating for automation too.

Automate this

It does a lot of people on here. Every time there's a retirement thread or an investment thread, there are some on here who say "I'll never be able to retire" and "I don't have a retirement account or pension". Then, when someone starts a "union" thread, they're the biggest ones who scream about how horrible unions are.
It all depends on the union and the company. UPS is unionized and pays their workers much better than Fedex. Yet, when things get busy, UPS outperforms FDX. Why? Because their workers consider their job a lifetime career. All the FDX drivers (both Express and Ground) that I've dealt with are always bitching, complaining and looking for a new job. UPS knows if you pay your workers well, they'll reciprocate by working hard.

I was loading trucks at a place with that had the Teamsters Union. There was a big regional strike while I was there. The management called everybody around and told everybody not to cross the picket line.

In fact, there really wasn't a picket line. But the Teamsters placed a camper trailer at the place and would call four guys at a time to show up and hang out in the trailer playing cards.

This was back in the 70s. If push ever came to shove during a Teamsters strike, people from Chicago would show up to fix it and everybody knew it. So the management made sure to tell everybody not to get any ideas about trying to work during the strike.

We had 2 gentlemen hit 50yrs this year. How many non union companies can say the same? The turnover rate is ridiculous at most non union shops.

I broke a strike once, by working at a construction site in Connecticut as a carpenter. The carpenter's local whatever wanted another $0.15 or something, I don't know.

It was fine. I got paid to be productive and they (presumably) got paid to wave signs at me while I did it. To each their own.

lol... suite yourself dumazz.

You union jackazzes are so far behind the times it isn't funny. You may as well be in a 1920's coal mine... that's just how fuqing antiquated you are. And your kids?!?!... for fuqs sake bro, get them an actual mentor who knows what the fug they're talking about because you sure as hell do not.

These union threads are hilarious because you clowns have no idea why the union way of life is dying off. Too stupid to figure it out and adapt. lol

This thread is enlightening.

Classic!

Unions are dying off? LOL Thats funny. They took a hit for decades. Last I looked, membership is growing. I hate Democrats. I hate lazy millennials. But theyre the ones looking for bigger wages and better benefits. Theyre not getting that through diploma mills.

Nobody thinks of innovation, ambition, or achievement when they think union. They think of lazy, entitled, slob azzed democrat voters.

Nobody wants that chit. They settle for it.

Unions protect poor performance. Employment for life where seniority, not performance, is rewarded.

Maybe the other fellas left for better jobs.

Then those "nobodys" are some stupid mfers. Who do they think builds your defense vehicles, hospitals, schools....who puts out the fires or the bad guy 6 ft under....etc etc etc

Every day you cross paths with a union member, youre just too fückin stupid to realize it, and too arrogant to admit their worth. Pathetic really.

Let's see 6 weeks vacation a year, a cadillac health care plan 401K while easily making six figures without the burden of a college tuition loan to pay for. Exactly what would we need to adapt to?

Unions back the enemy. F Biden and F those who voted for him. But you gotta eat and pay the bills, so suck it and make excuses for your liberal leaders.

Yeah...went through the narrow gear strike...it shewed me that union organisers make book during a strike, and the loud-mouthed arseholes making most of the noise are out scabbing as soon as no one is looking.

Been on all sides of it. Operating Engineers had (has?) a great training program for equipment operators. Later when I was a mine foreman, some of the best dozer operators came from there. When I was an operator though, the bastards also protected a lot of guys who absolutely should have been fired. My haul truck broke one night and the mechanic showed up. I got my ass chewed because I wanted to help the mechanic fix the thing. Instead, I took a four hour nap in the cab. Pretty messed up. Sadly though, this place needed a union because of the way they treated people. The hourly guys were pretty well protected. If you were salary, you were dumped on and just had to take it like a bitch. I bailed after three months and went back to school.

At another operation, I was the mine manager. Union came in to try and organize. My guys told em to go screw their hats! Ha! We kicked ass and took names and I made sure my guys were taken care of. The other operation unionized for about ten months. They saw the b/s and how they weren’t going to benefit in this case from the union taking over. They voted the union out ten months later.

At the end if the day, if you work for a good outfit who takes care of the employees, you will never need a union. There are a few garbage outfits who need to be unionized. The couple times I encountered them though, I quit and went somewhere else. I was salary then (and now) and don’t put up with getting dumped on. Too many options to put up with that.

Plus almost every airline pilot, both passenger and cargo.

I worked for 34 years in the telecom industry for one of the baby bells. I think we had 5 strikes in that time and most lasted just a few days to a week or two. Midway through my career I was promoted into management so when a strike was called I had to step in and do the work as a manager. In 1989 there was a very large and lengthy strike that lasted 110 days and I had to work through that in management. It was a bitter strike that created a lot of hardships on the union workers and the public. In the end the company gave in at the last minute on the funding for insurance which was the primary reason for the strike. There were a few workers who crossed the line but for the most part the union stayed well organized. That company paid much more in wages and benefits than other similar companies in the region that weren't unionized.