Railroad Workers Speak Out After Congress and Biden Block Rail Strike

By Maximillian Alvarez / The Real News Network

After a 3-year saga of stalled contract negotiations between the country’s freight rail carriers and the 12 unions representing over 100,000 railroad workers, “pro-union” President Biden and Congress last week “averted” a national rail shutdown by overriding the democratic will of rail workers and forcing a contract down their throats. So, what happens now? We convene a special all-railroader panel to break down the events of the last week and to discuss where railroad workers and the labor movement go from here.

Panelists include: Jay, a qualified conductor who was licensed to operate locomotives at 19 years old, and who became a qualified train dispatcher before he was 23; Marilee Taylor, who worked on the railroads for over 30 years and retired earlier this year from her post as an engineer for BNSF Railway, but is still an active member of Railroad Workers United; John Tormey, a writer and BWMED-IBT member who works as a track laborer for the commuter rail in Massachusetts; and Matt Parker, a full-time locomotive engineer who’s worked on the railroads for 19 years and also serves part-time as Chairman on the Nevada State Legislative Board of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.

Additional links/info below…

• Railroad Workers United website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
• John’s Twitter page
• Matt’s Twitter page
• Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Emily Cochrane, The New York Times, “Biden Signs Legislation to Avert Nationwide Rail Strike“
• Maximillian Alvarez, Breaking Points, “EXCLUSIVE: Rail Worker SLAMS Biden’s “Tyrannical” Move Blocking Strike“
• Citations Needed, “News Brief: Biden, Congressional Dems Partner with GOP, Media to Discipline Rail Labor“
• Bad Faith, “Joe Biden ABANDONS Rail Workers“
• Useful Idiots, “‘Union Joe’ Biden Sells Out Rail Workers“
• John Tormey, The Baffler, “Known Assailants“
• Working People, “Jay“
• Working People, “Countdown to Midnight (w/ Jay & Joe)“
• Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, “Wall Street is Holding the Supply Chain Hostage to Stop a Railroad Workers’ Strike“
• Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, “Solidarity with Railroad Workers“
• Mel Buer, The Real News Network, “Corporate Billionaires Are Wrecking the Supply Chain. Just Look at the Railroads“

Permanent links below…

• Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show!
• Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
• In These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
• The Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter page

Featured Music (all songs sourced from the Free Music Archive: freemusicarchive.org)

• Jules Taylor, “Working People Theme Song

Post-Production: Jules Taylor

Maximillian Alvarez

Ten years ago, I was working 12-hour days as a warehouse temp in Southern California while my family, like millions of others, struggled to stay afloat in the wake of the Great Recession. Eventually, we lost everything, including the house I grew up in. It was in the years that followed, when hope seemed irrevocably lost and help from above seemed impossibly absent, that I realized the life-saving importance of everyday workers coming together, sharing our stories, showing our scars, and reminding one another that we are not alone. Since then, from starting the podcast Working People—where I interview workers about their lives, jobs, dreams, and struggles—to working as Associate Editor at the Chronicle Review and now as Editor-in-Chief at The Real News Network, I have dedicated my life to lifting up the voices and honoring the humanity of our fellow workers.