Bernie and the Squad Attack Railroad Workers !
“On Nov. 30, the House of Representatives voted 290 to 137 to block a potential nationwide rail strike by intervening into the dispute between the unions and the railroad companies and imposing a contract on the workers. The Senate now has to consider the action.”
Workers’Voice, Nov. 30
The action by the House of Representatives in trying to prevent a strike by Railroad workers was not a surprise. The government is run by and for the capitalist class. It does what is necessary to maintain the profits of the corporations. The disputes in Congress are about specific tactics on how to achieve that goal, not the goal itself.
This is true of the Democrats as well as the Republicans. “The most pro-labor president in history” , Joe Biden, showed what side he is actually on by submitting the strike breaking bill to Congress
Railroad workers are super-exploited ! Their numbers have been cut by ¾ from 500,000 down to 115,000 while still transporting 40% of all goods in the U.S. With such a small work force, railroad management treats the workers like slaves. Many are on call 24–7. They have little sick leave. They often work with little rest which is unsafe for them and the public. They are simply demanding wage increases to keep up with the cost of living and livable schedules.
The companies have been intransigent. The government brokered deal does not meet their minimum demands.
Biden and the Democrats claim that they must prevent the strike. Otherwise, they say, the economy will grind to a halt. Food will disappear from the shelves. There will be no gas for cars. The economy will lose one billion dollars a day. They claim that in attacking these workers they are helping all the other workers who would otherwise suffer. They are justifying their defense of the profits of the railroads and other corporations by crying crocodile tears for ordinary people.
In making this argument they try to hide the positive effects of successful strikes. The old labor saying “An injury to one is an injury to all “and “ a victory to one is a victory to all “ still applies. If RR workers get better wages and conditions this will strengthen the hand of other workers seeking improvements. If RR workers win, the power of all workers against the bosses will increase. If they lose, it will be that much harder for other workers to organize. All the capitalists and their representatives in Congress understand this which is why they support RR management and government strike breaking.
If they really cared about keeping the supply chain going, they could easily meet the workers’ legitimate demands. They could demand that the railroads provide decent pay and schedules. They could nationalize the railroads and run them as government agencies, as many countries in the world do. Biden, the Congress, Democrats and Republicans do not have to attack the already over-stressed railroaders to keep the supply chain running. They could either legislate against the interests of bosses or against the interest of workers. They have shown clearly what side they are on.
Some of the Democrats want to have their cake and eat it too. The “progressives” , the Squad and Bernie Sanders accept the capitalist necessity to stop the strike. However, they want to look good for the workers. They have submitted legislation to modify the government-imposed settlement. They want to mandate that the companies provide 7 days of sick leave per year. It is not even a serious proposal since it is very unlikely to pass the Senate.
This will sound good to some supporters of the rail unions. It is not! It is an attempt to justify strike breaking with an inadequate compromise. The unions are demanding 15 days of sick leave. The “progressive” addition does not address the other demands the unions are pushing. Most importantly, it still suppresses the basic right of all workers — -the right to strike, the right to withhold their labor.
If congressional representatives were serious about defending the workers, they would repeal the Railway Labor Act. The RLA makes striking by railroad workers very difficult. It was instituted to undermine the power of workers on the rails.
Workers cannot depend on any of the representatives in Congress or the Presidency! They are all members of political parties funded and run by and for the corporations. It would help the workers’ cause if they had actual independent working class representatives in Congress that could argue their case instead of accepting the logic of capitalism. Workers need their own political party.
In the meantime, any support by workers to the bosses’ parties is a waste of time effort and money. More than that, supporting those parties is supporting the capitalists, the class enemy! This is as true of “progressive” Democrats as it is of MAGA Republicans. DSA has shown itself to be on the side of pro-capitalist Democrats against the workers.
Even without their own party, workers still have tremendous potential economic power. They could defy Congress and go on strike. They could use their power to demand decent wages and conditions. If they use that power every worker and every supporter of workers needs to fully support the railroad workers!
See Left Voice for an excellent summary of the issues behind the potential strike:
