Railroad companies have penalized workers for taking the time to make needed repairs and created a culture in which supervisors threaten and fire the very people hired to keep trains running safely. Regulators say they can’t stop this intimidation.
Can we please stop defending Biden every time he hurts us?
Sick days weren’t literally the only thing they wanted to strike for - there were numerous safety concerns, concerns about overtime, concerns about scheduling, and more:
The Association of American Railroads, which represents freight railway operators, said its members have been hiring in recent years to address staffing needs and recognize employees’ desire for better scheduling. The group said the number of overtime hours worked by BMWE union members increased to 4.7 hours per week in 2022, compared to 4 hours in 2016.
Cory Ludwig, who works as a machine operator repairing railway tracks in Iowa, said he’s been working Saturdays and some Sundays along with 10- to 12-hour shifts since September. Recently, he worked 13 days without a day off. With the mandatory Saturday work, he’s had to rely on friends and relatives to take care of his five-year-old and nine-year-old kids. He said the overtime demands have increased as he’s seen the number of workers assigned to his crew go down.
“You fall asleep and then you wake up in the morning and you go right back to work. It can really break a person down, it gets really wearing on a person after a while,” Ludwig said. “With less people trying to do the same amount of work, working long hours, working multiple weeks in a row without one day off, you get irritated and you get burnt out.”
Recently one of the union’s members had been working 22 hours straight when he fell asleep on the job, an error that could have put his colleagues’ lives at risk but also could have been avoided had the employee had a rest period, said Ballew. Another member was recently disciplined for refusing to work through his scheduled days off on short notice so he could care for a family member having health issues, Ballew said.
“The stress it puts on marriages and parenting and the things you leave behind for your spouse to deal with or the things you miss, that kind of stress builds up,” said Ballew. “In the rail industry, we have noticed recently a spat of suicides and I can’t help but think there is a correlation there.”
Can we please stop defending Biden every time he hurts us?
I honestly pray Biden voters never have human relationships that resemble their parasocial-electoral ones with Biden, it’s terrifyingly similar to abusive relationships.
You’re confusing the minority of fanatics with a majority of reluctant supporters. There aren’t 80 million rabid fanatics foaming at the mouth to support Biden.
Reluctantly choosing to stay with someone you know is hurting you because you feel like you have no choice isn’t exactly a healthy relationship either. If you’re in other ones like that please run.
“Get in line or get out of my country” essentially? The more abusive relationship would be to let Trump (or one of his compatriots) in out of principle because you refuse to vote for the lesser evil. We don’t have the luxury of just choosing who is best and getting a great deal out of the situation. We’re stuck between a bog of eternal stench and a rampaging horde of zombies. Neither is great, but I’ll take the stench over the zombies if it means I get to live a little longer, and maybe make my situation better in the long run.
I know some people would prefer to just stand their ground and face the zombies so they don’t actually have to make tough decisions. But that’s not me.
If you keep voting for evil candidates you will keep gettig evil choices. If all they have to do for your vote is be slightly less evil than the other one, that’s all you’ll ever get. I find that unacceptable, so I use that to inform my actions.
Can we please stop defending Biden every time he hurts us?
Sick days weren’t literally the only thing they wanted to strike for - there were numerous safety concerns, concerns about overtime, concerns about scheduling, and more:
Of particular note:
Lives are still being ruined.
Stop your strike breaker apologetics.
But but but the economy! That’s so much more important than health and safety! We have to save it! /s
I honestly pray Biden voters never have human relationships that resemble their parasocial-electoral ones with Biden, it’s terrifyingly similar to abusive relationships.
You’re confusing the minority of fanatics with a majority of reluctant supporters. There aren’t 80 million rabid fanatics foaming at the mouth to support Biden.
Reluctantly choosing to stay with someone you know is hurting you because you feel like you have no choice isn’t exactly a healthy relationship either. If you’re in other ones like that please run.
“Get in line or get out of my country” essentially? The more abusive relationship would be to let Trump (or one of his compatriots) in out of principle because you refuse to vote for the lesser evil. We don’t have the luxury of just choosing who is best and getting a great deal out of the situation. We’re stuck between a bog of eternal stench and a rampaging horde of zombies. Neither is great, but I’ll take the stench over the zombies if it means I get to live a little longer, and maybe make my situation better in the long run.
I know some people would prefer to just stand their ground and face the zombies so they don’t actually have to make tough decisions. But that’s not me.
If you keep voting for evil candidates you will keep gettig evil choices. If all they have to do for your vote is be slightly less evil than the other one, that’s all you’ll ever get. I find that unacceptable, so I use that to inform my actions.
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The two viable choices in 2020 were Biden or Trump. The two viable choices in 2024 are going to be Biden or Trump.
Are you suggesting we vote for Trump over Biden?
Voting isn’t the only option.
When are you going to start shooting?
I’d only shoot myself.
Remember, the Arab Spring was started by a suicide.
Apparently the revolution isn’t all that important to you or you would have done it already.