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Rail Workers United, a group supporting railroad workers in
various unions from all across the country, said workers have
not received pay raises in over three years.
"Without a better contract for all railroad crafts, service will
continue to suffer as rail carriers extract wealth and buy back
their shares at the expense of the economy as a whole," the
group said.
Now the union is threatening a strike.
"I am calling on Congress to pass legislation immediately to
adopt the Tentative Agreement between railroad workers and
operators," President Joe Biden said in a statement this week.
"The deal provides a historic 24% pay raise for rail workers. It
provides improved health care benefits. And it provides the
ability of operating craft workers to take unscheduled leave for
medical needs."
Illinois state Rep. Michael Halpin, D-Rock Island, on the House
floor Tuesday announced his support for the workers.
"The [Biden] administration wants Congress to step in and
prevent these workers from exercising their right to strike,"
Halpin said. "Frankly, I am truly disturbed and frustrated with
this news."
Gov. J.B. Pritzker was asked about the strike as Illinois is a
major hub for all Class 1 railroads. He is siding with Biden in
urging Congress to intervene.
"Railroads are extremely important, especially right now because
we are having trouble with barges on the Mississippi [River],"
Pritzker said. "We have got to do something. We can not have a
situation in which the supply chain is cut off because there is
a mass railroad strike."
Halpin said that is exactly what a strike is meant to
accomplish.
"Strikes are unpleasant, they are disruptive, and they cause
friction, and that is exactly the point," Halpin said. "Strikes
demonstrate the economic power of workers' labor by withholding
it."
Business groups from across the country have urged Congress to
intervene.
If an agreement is not reached, a strike could happen as early
as Dec. 9.
Andrew Hensel has years of experience as a
reporter and pre-game host for the Joliet Slammers, and as a
producer for the Windy City Bulls. A graduate of Iowa Wesleyan
University and Illinois Media School, Andrew lives in the south
suburbs of Chicago.
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