Railroad Workers Can Build on Seeds of Change

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Jan 7, 2023 

by Paul Garver

On December 2, 2022, as Joe Biden admired the view of Boston Harbor alongside William, Prince of Wales, the Boston DSA labor working group helped organize a protest rally against Biden’s having signed the imposition of the Railway Labor Act on the railroad workers earlier in the day.  The protest received wide and favorable media attention in Boston, and at this writing at the end of December, remains the largest single demonstration in support of the demands of the railroad workers. 

Twelve railroad unions were involved in the negotiations leading up to government intervention, and although the imposed settlement gave them some of what their leaders bargained for, the lack of paid sick days was a major defeat and disappointment. At the time, Biden said that he would push for the sick days by other means. The workers remain without the sick days, and the imposition of the Railway Labor Act has led to fractious debates on the Left and revolt in the ranks of some of the unions involved.

The debates within the Left threaten to derail (pun intended) the serious work of supporting the beleaguered workers. What is a left-wing labor activist or supporter to do?

Read the rest at Democratic Left

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