We don't always agree with Railroad Workers United, but their Labor Day message below is a good introduction to their organization and way of thinking and to union solidarity in practice. There are plenty of good links in this post that will be of interest to our readers.
Whether you are off work or on the job, please take time to honor, remember and celebrate the rights and dignity of all workers this Labor Day — our day.
Bosses have never freely guaranteed overtime pay, vacations, paid holidays, sick leave, workers’ compensation, FELA, Social Security, retirement benefits, safe working conditions, the basic 8-hour day, or seniority systems. These only came about because workers organized and fought (some losing their lives) collectively for these things — and at every turn, management would dial them back if it weren't for our vigilance.
RWU solidarity member Peter Rachleff, a Macalester College Professor and co-founder of the East Side Freedom Library in St. Paul, Minnesota reminds us of Labor Day's origins and its deep historical connections to the railroad worker story in his 2022 piece in the Union Advocate.
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While we celebrate today, we must remember that workers rights are not simply a historical struggle, but an ever-present and ongoing one, and RWU's fight for working railroaders persists across a range of issues and organizing campaigns. To highlight just a few:
Coordinated Bargaining
As we continue to push for rail labor to present a united front against the carriers in the upcoming negotiations with the Class 1 carriers represented by the NCCC,
we do so knowing that none of the issues we faced in 2022 have been resolved. The raises have been wiped out by inflation and increased cost of living. Fatalities and injuries are up. Manpower levels are nowhere near where they were even just a few years ago. The companies continue to push through cuts wherever they can to prop up profits for their shareholders. If we are going to have a chance of reversing the decline, we need to draw a line in the sand and fight back. None of our individual unions or crafts are strong enough on their own, and if we bargain divided, it will allow the companies to pit one union against the other.
We are mobilizing rank-and-file, working railroaders to explain in their own words why these negotiations are so crucial, and why a coordinated bargaining coalition is key.
Public Rail Now
What began as one-off recurring discussions over the years about the anti-worker structure of the rail industry, and later became a resolution RWU adopted in 2022, has grown into a thriving, cross-partner, grant-funded Public Rail Now campaign, supported by a full-time organizer and part-time assistant organizer. Railroads' current profit-driven, billionaire class operations fail to serve the majority, jeopardize safety, and ignore the well-being of workers and communities, as demonstrated by devastating derailments like the one in East Palestine, Ohio in 2023.
Read our recent white paper published in July 2024, written by RWU/Public Rail Now researcher and RWU Solidarity member, Maddock Thomas, "Putting America Back on Track: The Case for a 21st Century Public Rail System," and join the campaign.
Supporting Working Railroaders Running for Rail Union Office
While RWU does not directly endorse candidates for rail union office, we strive to support rank n' file railroaders who do run, by sharing our perspective on what makes a truly pro-worker campaign. We recently shared our "12-Point Platform for Candidates to Consider When Running for Union Office," and encourage candidates to use it as a tool for foregrounding the working rail voice.
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Labor Day is about all working people and our historic and gallant struggle – through strikes, boycotts, picket lines, sit-ins, occupations, and more – to further the cause of the working class. We have so much to make us hopeful, considering the ongoing wave of national organizing. Railroad Workers United is proud to be part of this great tradition of working people fighting back against the wealthy and powerful, the big corporations, and the Wall Street bankers. We invite you to join in the fight.
Solidarity Forever!
Nick Wurst
General Secretary
secretary@railroadworkersunited.org
Matt Weaver
RWU Organizer
organizer@railroadworkersunited.org
Coordinated Bargaining
As we continue to push for rail labor to present a united front against the carriers in the upcoming negotiations with the Class 1 carriers represented by the NCCC,
we do so knowing that none of the issues we faced in 2022 have been resolved. The raises have been wiped out by inflation and increased cost of living. Fatalities and injuries are up. Manpower levels are nowhere near where they were even just a few years ago. The companies continue to push through cuts wherever they can to prop up profits for their shareholders. If we are going to have a chance of reversing the decline, we need to draw a line in the sand and fight back. None of our individual unions or crafts are strong enough on their own, and if we bargain divided, it will allow the companies to pit one union against the other.
We are mobilizing rank-and-file, working railroaders to explain in their own words why these negotiations are so crucial, and why a coordinated bargaining coalition is key.
Public Rail Now
What began as one-off recurring discussions over the years about the anti-worker structure of the rail industry, and later became a resolution RWU adopted in 2022, has grown into a thriving, cross-partner, grant-funded Public Rail Now campaign, supported by a full-time organizer and part-time assistant organizer. Railroads' current profit-driven, billionaire class operations fail to serve the majority, jeopardize safety, and ignore the well-being of workers and communities, as demonstrated by devastating derailments like the one in East Palestine, Ohio in 2023.
Read our recent white paper published in July 2024, written by RWU/Public Rail Now researcher and RWU Solidarity member, Maddock Thomas, "Putting America Back on Track: The Case for a 21st Century Public Rail System," and join the campaign.
Supporting Working Railroaders Running for Rail Union Office
While RWU does not directly endorse candidates for rail union office, we strive to support rank n' file railroaders who do run, by sharing our perspective on what makes a truly pro-worker campaign. We recently shared our "12-Point Platform for Candidates to Consider When Running for Union Office," and encourage candidates to use it as a tool for foregrounding the working rail voice.
***
Labor Day is about all working people and our historic and gallant struggle – through strikes, boycotts, picket lines, sit-ins, occupations, and more – to further the cause of the working class. We have so much to make us hopeful, considering the ongoing wave of national organizing. Railroad Workers United is proud to be part of this great tradition of working people fighting back against the wealthy and powerful, the big corporations, and the Wall Street bankers. We invite you to join in the fight.
Solidarity Forever!
Nick Wurst
General Secretary
secretary@railroadworkersunited.org
Matt Weaver
RWU Organizer
organizer@railroadworkersunited.org
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