Thanks to the Railway Labor Act, a Congressional resolution could force workers back to the railroads under the terms of a contract many of them just rejected.
rail
Posted inEconomic Policy
Prospect Podcast: The Most Important Inflation Fighter You Don’t Know About
We talk to Martin Oberman, the lead regulator for the rail industry, which has contributed mightily to supply chain woes by taking its cues from Wall Street.
Posted inTAP
Europe: Great Public Systems and Eroding Public Confidence
Today on TAP: The nations of the EU are fast depleting the legacy of a decent social compact.
Posted inTAP
Amtrak Joe Averts a Lockout (and a Huge Political Headache)
Today on TAP: Now, railroad employees won’t be docked when they see a doctor—though they won’t be paid, either.
Posted inWorking in America
Potential Rail Worker Strike Caused by Erratic Scheduling
Workers must be constantly on call to work, making it impossible to live their lives.
Posted inTransportation
Opting Out of Mass Transit?
Systems are surviving hybrid work schedules, but personal and fleet safety issues also influence the transit options that riders use—or desert.
Posted inEconomic Policy
Railroad Profit-Making Strategy Comes at a Cost
A looming strike and struggles with a proposed merger could reflect a reckoning for the rail industry’s determined efforts to squeeze capacity.
Posted inWorking in America
Rail Workers Punished for Taking Days Off, Union Says
Unionized workers at Warren Buffett’s BNSF Railway are angry about a new attendance policy that incentivizes coming to work sick or fatigued.
Posted inTransportation
Is Amtrak Up to Crossing the Hudson?
As billions flow to the Gateway Program’s Hudson River megaproject for new bridges and tunnels, an audit finds that Amtrak has serious work to do—in-house.
Posted inEconomic Policy
How America’s Supply Chains Got Railroaded
Rail deregulation led to consolidation, price-gouging, and a variant of just-in-time unloading that left no slack in the system.