What are the issues with railroad workers?

Many have complained that extended time on the road and long stretches of on-call work make it difficult to see a doctor for an illness or injury, or to be present at family milestones like a child's birthday. Rail carriers say employees can generally attend to these needs by taking paid vacation.



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Railroad Workers Were Unhappy Employees often worked 10, 12 and even 16 hours a day. Sometimes they did not receive extra pay for the extra hours they worked. Conditions on the job were often very dangerous. Workers joined together to improve their poor working conditions and increase their salaries.

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Railroad workers and unions are ramping up pressure on the US Congress and Joe Biden to address poor working conditions in the wake of the recent move to block a strike when Congress voted to impose a contract agreement.

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JOB MADE UNBEARABLE Workers have fewer days off and even more irregular schedules than they're used to. Longer trains are harder to operate and more prone to derailments. The railroads have cut back on inspections. They have deferred and outsourced maintenance that was traditionally done by union workers.

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How often do railroad workers get laid off? Over the last six years, the leading freight carriers laid off 45,000 employees, or nearly 30 percent of their combined workforce, according to the Surface Transportation Board. Most of the layoffs came before the pandemic, which ushered in a huge demand for shipped items.

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After campaigning as the most pro-union presidential candidate in history, Biden signed into law a measure that makes a rail strike illegal.

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The rail workers wanted seven annual paid sick days, which would cost the railroads an estimated $321 million annually–less than 2% of their annual profit. But the railroads balked at this demand, despite posting record profits of $21.2 billion in the first three quarters of 2022 alone.

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U.S. employment in rail transportation At the same time, working conditions for the employees remaining at these railroads have deteriorated. “Even the good pay and pensions aren't worth it anymore, because they're being so overworked,” said Schuhrke.

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There was abuse of labor and destruction of the labor movement. The transcontinentals harmed Native Americans, and hastened the destruction of the buffalo. They opened lands to farming before the production was needed leading to oversupply and economic collapse. They brought in open range cattle a poorly run industry.

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That's in part because of the pandemic, but also because the major railroads have for years been making major staffing cuts that have forced employees to take on more work. Over the last six years, Class 1 railroads have cut their workforce by 29%, of 45,000 employees, according to Congressional testimony by Oberman.

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Why are rail workers striking? Unions say they want a pay offer reflecting the rising cost of living. But the rail industry is under pressure to save money, after the pandemic left a hole in its finances. The industry says changes to ways of working need to be agreed in order for pay to go up.

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In rail, workers must get approval far in advance for any paid personal days they take. There's no calling in sick the morning of your shift. It's really difficult, of course, to pre-approve sickness when you don't know you're going to be sick, Hinrichs said.

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Railroad workers put in long hours; a 1907 law restricted train crews to 16 hours work out of every 24. Well into the twentieth century, work was unsteady and unsafe. One railroad worker in every 357 nationally died on the job in 1889.

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Because trains operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, railroad workers' schedules may vary to include nights, weekends, and holidays. Most work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. Federal regulations require a minimum number of rest hours for train operators.

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Last fall, many union railroad workers in the United States did not have paid sick days. Now, more than sixty percent of them do, Reuters reports. It has been a process of slow, piecemeal wins over many months—and a testament to the continued push of high-profile politicians like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont).

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The average age of male Railroad conductors & yardmasters in the workforce is 41.6 and of female Railroad conductors & yardmasters is 44.1, and the most common race/ethnicity for Railroad conductors & yardmasters is White.

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Because trains operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, railroad workers' schedules may vary to include nights, weekends, and holidays. Most work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week.

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