Can rail workers strike anyway?

Under the Railway Labor Act, the federal agency that oversees railroad and airline labor relations is the National Mediation Board, which tries to bring the two sides together, and it set up a series of limits and cooling off periods during which unions can not strike and management can not lock out the workers.



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Under the law that controls rail labor, the unions can go back out on strike after Congress returns to session for five days.

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On May 10, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation passed the Railway Safety Act of 2023 (S. 576) out of committee on a largely party-line vote. Democrats were unanimously in favor, but two Republicans on the committee—the original bill sponsor, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) and Sen.

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“The thing is, if they try that, the railroads can march into court and get an injunction from a federal judge ordering the union to go back. And if they defy that order, the unions could be hit with hefty fines.”

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What are the railroad unions asking for? The railroad unions are asking freight and railway companies for a pay increase, as well as better working conditions, including paid time off and a more flexible schedule.

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As of Sep 26, 2023, the average hourly pay for a Train Driver in the United States is $17.76 an hour. While ZipRecruiter is seeing hourly wages as high as $28.61 and as low as $8.65, the majority of Train Driver wages currently range between $14.18 (25th percentile) to $19.23 (75th percentile) across the United States.

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In 2021, the median gross annual pay of train and tram drivers was £59,031 (€68,673) in the UK, up from £42,484 (€48,951) in 2011. This is a 39 per cent increase in nominal terms, meaning inflation is not taken into account.

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For years, freight rail workers weren't allowed to call in sick the morning of their shift. They could, however, get approval weeks in advance to take paid personal days. CSX was the first to grant paid sick days to several of its unions and has now granted sick days to 61% of its 17,089 unionized employees.

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The recent Ohio train derailment, in which carriages from a 150-car freight liner carrying toxic chemicals crashed off the tracks in the town of East Palestine, is just one of more than a dozen rail accidents reported to have already taken place in the US since the start of 2023.

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4 May 2023 A number of strikes on the national rail networks have been announced on dates in May and June 2023. Please keep an eye on the news and be aware that your travel may be disrupted. Rail workers are due to strike on Friday 12 May, Saturday 13 May, Wednesday 31 May and Saturday 3 June.

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