Posts tagged Omaha
Engineers frustrated with rails even as others get sick time
May 9, 2023 // Across the industry, CSX has led the way by reaching agreements with most of its unions on sick time. Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific have also announced several sick time deals. Most of these deals provide workers with four days of paid sick time and give them the option to convert three leave days into sick time to give workers a total of seven sick days a year. One of the key remaining concerns for the BLET is that even where the railroads seem willing to give engineers sick time, the railroads generally still want to hold workers accountable for missing work under their strict attendance policies. So even if workers do get sick time, they may not feel free to use it because they would still be penalized for missing work although CSX has said it won’t punish workers for taking sick time.
Rail union approves deal offering hope of avoiding strike
November 7, 2022 // Concerns remain about the possibility of an economically devastating strike because the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division and Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen unions voted down their contracts, and many workers say these deals just don’t address their quality-of life concerns. No strike is imminent because those unions agreed to return to the bargaining table to try to work out a new deal, but those talks have been deadlocked over the unions’ demands for paid sick time and there is a Nov. 19 deadline.
Railroads back plan calling for 24 percent raises but workers wary
August 22, 2022 // Both sides have 30 days to negotiate a new contract before federal law would allow a strike or lockout, but even if they can’t reach an agreement Congress is likely to intervene to prevent a strike that would disrupt the flow of goods across all sectors of the economy. The unions were still reviewing the 124-page report Wednesday — one day after it was issued — and didn’t immediately comment on the details. But individual railroad workers commenting about the report on Twitter said it didn’t do enough to address their concerns about restrictive attendance policies that make it hard to take days off and demanding working conditions after thousands of jobs have been cut in recent years.
140,000 Americans walked out of work last year to strike for higher pay and safer workplaces — and thousands got what they wanted
February 24, 2022 // In 2021, about 140,000 workers were involved in work stoppages. In total, there were 265 work stoppages last year, according to researchers at Cornell University's ILR School, who created the ILR Labor Action Tracker and compiled the data used in its first annual report. Cumulatively, that means there were about 3.27 million "strike days" in 2021 — which the researchers define as how long strikes lasted, multiplied by the number of strikers.
Buffett rejects Sanders’ call to intervene
December 31, 2021 // Several hundred striking workers at a manufacturing facility owned by Berkshire Hathaway have picked up some high-profile support from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, but the company's CEO, Warren Buffett, has declined to get involved in the contract dispute.
Kellogg Strike Stretches On as Union Rejects Offer and Company Sues for Intimidation
November 12, 2021 // 1,400 Kellogg cereal workers have been on strike now since October 6—more than a month ago.
Kellogg’s files lawsuit against its striking cereal workers
November 11, 2021 // The Kellogg Co. has filed a lawsuit against its local union in Omaha complaining that striking workers are blocking entrances to its cereal plant and intimidating replacement workers as they enter the plant.