this post was submitted on 11 Sep 2023
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It's just liberal bait, best to ignore them.
When rail unions were preparing for a potential strike, Biden made it illegal for them to do so.
Rail unions wanted to strike for better benefits, vacation time most importantly as the corporations had them working a lot of hours with virtually no paid time off. Part of 'efficiency' in the pursuit of profit, running as much freight, with as few train engines and workers also means greater wear on the infrastructure and less maintenance work being done. All this contributes to the more regular occurrence of accidents, some incredibly damaging to public health and the environment.
They got some minor benefit increases, but i don't believe much, if anything, related to their main complaints. And now they have no real recourse. The only credit Biden and the democrats should get is from their capitalist sponsors.
Here's an opinion piece summary from a rail union member
They did end up getting four of them.
heres a link. I am definitely not a liberal. I just read that they did. What Biden did was shitty. He should have forced the sick days.
If you read your own link, you'll see that this is only for a couple rail companies, and not a guaranteed right in the future. It's cool that they got something, but this is not a big win by any chance.
Also 4 sick leave days is frankly too little for a critical infrastructure and transportation industry in the country that had 1 million die of covid.
I did read my own link. I agree with you. But rail laborers did get more sick days.
Congress had the ⅔ supermajorities to override Biden’s veto anyways. All Biden had to do was veto the bill to say he tried to prevent the legislation as “the most pro-union president” but it was out of his hands, and he couldn’t even do that.
So you'd rather they get nothing then. Gotcha
No, I'd rather a general strike brought the entire USA industry to a halt and the government/corporate classes to their knees, until the workers got every single one of their long overdue demands. Way to miss the mark.
Ok, so, seeing as that's not going to happen, you'd rather the status quo than the marginally better situation. Hope that works out for you
Are you done putting words in my mouth? What a weird one you are.
This carrot and stick approach is the Democrats' speciality, block the strike through legislation while also confusing the narrative and giving breadcrumbs for a small portion of the workers to sap the momentum and put worker against worker.
If you want so hard to know what should've happened (you don't really, you've already made up your mind about me), first off it should be up to the rail workers, but if I were one of them I'd recommend the strike go on despite any laws. The purpose of an union is to represent the will of all workers, not just the uplifted few or their politician buddies.
Ok dude
Out of curiosity, what do you consider yourself?
Well this is probably the only time I defended Biden. Usually I want to quit my job and molotov government buildings. But I usually vote democrat while wishing there was a laborers party in the US. So left somewhere.
In that case, maybe stick around and you might learn something about what we believe!
Maybe read some theory — you might end up agreeing with it!
Tianamen square wasn't real. Only theory matters, never look at real things.
Like I'm not already a socialist, mate. Bunch a crabs in a bucket right here.
I am not trying to pile on, genuinely curious about your perspective as a socialist.
I don't think many people around here have an issue with strategic voting alongside actual organizing and support. The way you worded your first comment sounded like uncritical support for Biden/Democrats in regard to their rail union 'achievements'. From later comments it doesn't sound like that is what you intended, but I am struggling to understand why they deserve any credit. Even from the article you posted, they removed the only actual leverage the workers have, then after significant public pressure, helped avert further unrest by convincing the companies to give less than 50% of the workers 3 or 4 days of paid sick leave a year. I don't see anything laudable here. (And for the absolute idiots, [email protected], I agree 4 sick day more gooder than 0 sick day).
I only said that because I had just lurked another article that seemed trust worthy and I hate both sides people. I think voting needs restructuring, education needs more funding in the public sector, and the US needs some damn social safety nets. But seeing as I don't think we'll ever see that I tend to settled for booing and anarchist fantasies.
I feel like they brought light too it because the article I posted was afterwards and mentioned pressure from the public. I think its a good thing, even if Biden fucked it in an unimaginable way. Because it brought awareness and people need to realize our power is each other. Get together, get angry, and go put pressure on injustices. I believe just the press around that entire event helped further that end. Even if it wasn't by the President's hand (it should have). I think we need a Laborer's Party here. Increasingly moreso every year.
So yeah, he didn't do what he was supposed to. But it ended up banding people together to do something and thats what we need everywhere right now. On so many issues.
Maybe I misread my article, but in the end I just want to see the people band together to punch The Man in the face and take our lives back from corporations. Thats my final summarized stance. We live in this way because of them.
so you're just a socdem.....
Idk man, I dont think CEOs and shit should exist. I think Laborers should own the value they produce. If that makes me a socdem then I guess.
sorry, its just absolutely hard to imagine you being a socialist when you're here complementing and defending the democRATS.
Yeah? Once in my original comment? Ok
"But I usually vote democrat while wishing there was a laborers party in the US."
https://pslweb.org
Okay