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As the Nebraska explosion made clear, there can be problems that are hard to spot before potentially disastrous accidents occur. Some details about the explosion might never be known because the shipping container carrying the acid was destroyed. Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena said he understands and welcomes the agency's scrutiny. Vena said Union Pacific and other major railroads have become safer over time. “And that’s what I’m challenging the team with here at Union Pacific is we have to get better ... We’ll invest in it.

Persons: haven’t, ”, Andy Foust, Warren Flatau, Pete Buttigieg, —, Foust, “, hasn’t, Dennis Thompson, Thompson, Jim Vena, Vena, We’ll, Charlie King Organizations: —, Union Pacific, Federal Railroad Administration, . Transportation, Rail, Transportation Workers, Transportation Division, . Railroad, Materials Safety Administration, Norfolk Southern, Platte Fire, Pacific, of Railroad Infrastructure Locations: OMAHA, Neb, Nebraska, North Platte , Nebraska, Omaha, Norfolk, Ohio, railyard, Palestine

Florida said the White House is conditioning transportation funding on the state's agreement not to enforce provisions that the Secretary of Labor believes undermine collective bargaining. Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and their respective agencies are among the defendants. The Labor Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "Florida passed laws to protect workers from being strong-armed by unions," Republican state Attorney General Ashley Moody said in a statement. "We're pushing back against this overreach to protect our state's autonomy and Florida workers."

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Biden, Ron DeSantis, Bill, Julie Su, Pete Buttigieg, General Ashley Moody, Donald Trump, Jonathan Stempel, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Department of Labor, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, Republican, Labor, U.S . Department, Department of Transportation, Labor Department, Florida Education Association, Democrat, Court, Southern District of, Thomson Locations: Washington ,, Florida, paychecks, U.S, Southern District, Southern District of Florida, New York

Many companies have complained about poor railroad service over the past couple years as the industry worked to recover from the depths of the pandemic. It, however, welcomed regulators establishing some clear minimum service standards for railroads that never existed before and requiring railroads to report more details about their performance. Getting the rule right is important because roughly 75% of refineries and petrochemical manufacturers are only served by a single railroad. Canadian regulators have long had similar rules that allow companies to hire other railroads to deliver their goods. The Canadian rules don't require companies to prove they are getting poor service like the proposed new U.S. rules.

Persons: Scott Jensen, Martin Oberman, ” Oberman, Rob Benedict, Benedict, Ian Jefferies, ” Jefferies, Jeremy Ferguson, ” Ferguson Organizations: — Companies, Surface Transportation, American Chemistry Council, Chemistry, American, and Petrochemical Manufacturers, Association of American Railroads, Transportation Division, International Association of, Rail, Transportation Workers Locations: OMAHA, Neb, U.S, North America, Canada, Mexico

It also could throw a wrench into the upcoming holiday shopping season that is a make-or-break period for retailers, including Amazon.com (AMZN.O), the largest UPS customer. If approved, the deal would raise pay for 340,000 UPS workers and eliminate a two-tier wage system for drivers. UPS cut its full-year revenue and profitability targets earlier this month, citing higher-than-expected labor costs and business lost during the tumultuous contract talks with the Teamsters. Under the contract deal, current full- and part-time workers will get $2.75 more per hour in 2023, and $7.50 more per hour over the length of the contract, according to the Teamsters. General wage increases for part-time workers will be double the amount obtained in the previous UPS Teamsters contract - and existing part-time workers will receive a 48% average total wage bump, addressing a key sticking point in talks, the union said.

Persons: Sergio Martinez, Mike Blake, Lisa Baertlein, Paul Simao Organizations: REUTERS, Teamsters, United Parcel Service, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, UPS, UAW, Detroit, Unions, Pilots, FedEx, UPS Teamsters, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Bengaluru

☆ Europe heat wave: Struggling outdoor workers threaten strikes and walkouts
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Caolán Magee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —As swaths of southern Europe continue to swelter under a deadly heat wave, for many outdoor workers, it’s turning into a brutal endurance test. “When it comes to protecting the health of outdoor workers during extreme heat events, there are really just three fundamental pieces — water, shade and rest,” Dahl told CNN last week. Yet some experts say many countries are far from prepared for dealing with extreme heat. Extreme heat also reveals a deep divide in the labor market, between those forced to be outside and those able to retreat to air-conditioned offices, the report added. Many workers in the global supply chain will be highly vulnerable to climate change impacts like heat, Parsons said.

Persons: Marina Calderone, Simona Granati, “, Stelios Misinas, ”, Laurie Parsons, Kristina Dahl, ” Dahl, Parsons Organizations: CNN, Acropolis, Reuters, Royal Holloway, University of London, “, Union of Concerned, European Trade Union Institute, European Union, Nature Medicine Locations: Europe, Rome, Naples, Italy, Greece, Athens, Saronida, Italian, Lodi, Royal

☆ Amazon workers at UK warehouse to strike for three days in July
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Anirudh Saligrama | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 8 (Reuters) - Nearly 900 Amazon (AMZN.O) workers at a warehouse in Britain will stage a strike for three days in the coming week over a pay dispute, labour union GMB said on Saturday. It coincides with a "Prime Day" sales event the company has announced for July 11-12. Last month, the union said that the Coventry warehouse workers had voted for six more months of strikes. The workers also went on strike last month from June 12-14. Amazon is expected to record about $7 billion in revenue from its Prime Day sales, an increase of 12% from what was disclosed for Prime Day during the third quarter last year, according to JPMorgan.

Persons: GMB, Rachel Fagan, RMT, Anirudh Organizations: Reuters, JPMorgan, Thomson Locations: Britain, Amazon's, Coventry, Bengaluru

Circuit Court of Appeals said that Uber drivers do not qualify for an exemption from the arbitration law for workers involved in interstate commerce because they rarely cross state lines when transporting passengers. The Federal Arbitration Act requires the enforcement of agreements to bring employment-related disputes in arbitration rather than court, but exempts transportation workers engaged in interstate commerce. A majority of private-sector U.S. workers, and most Uber drivers, have signed such agreements. The 3rd Circuit on Wednesday said evidence presented in the case showed that nearly two-thirds of Uber drivers never cross state lines, and only 2.5% of Uber trips are interstate. "Take away interstate trips, and the fundamental character of Uber drivers' work remains the same," Circuit Judge Anthony Scirica wrote for the court.

☆ Norfolk Southern reaches new paid sick leave deal as it contends with derailment fallout
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Norfolk Southern said Wednesday it agreed to provide up to seven paid sick days per years for members of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers and Blacksmiths. The deal provides Norfolk Southern's mechanical railroaders with four paid sick days per year, in addition to three existing days of paid time off that can now be used as sick days. The IBBB is now the ninth of Norfolk Southern's 12 unions that have negotiated paid sick days, benefitting about 6,000 workers. The move comes after months of fighting between unions and railraods – including Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific and BNSF – over paid sick leave. The legislation, however, did not include paid sick leave.

[1/3] Drone footage shows the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released by the NTSB. NTSBGov/Handout via REUTERSFeb 14 (Reuters) - Cleanup is moving quickly after a train carrying toxic materials derailed in Ohio 11 days ago, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said on Tuesday, while residents and observers questioned the health impacts of pollution that spilled into the Ohio River. Officials said the volume of the river diluted the plume and the plume did not pose a serious threat. UNION WARNINGSRailroad union officials said they have been warning that such an accident could happen because railroad cost-cutting harmed safety measures. "No one wants to listen until we have a town blown off the face of the earth, then people listen," said Whitaker, whose union is the largest U.S. railroad union representing conductors, engineers and other workers.

☆ Mexican govt inks deal to buy Mexicana airline brand for $42 mln, union says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Kylie Madry | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has said the government intends to use Mexicana to launch a military-run commercial airline. In December, Lopez Obrador said the airline was set to launch operations in 2023. The payment will be divided between pilots' union ASPA, flight attendants' union ASSA, ex-aviation workers' union AJTEAM and transportation workers' union SNTTTASS proportionally by a percentage of what was owed when Mexicana shuttered, Alonso said. The deal was reached Friday between Mexico's transportation ministry and the unions with supervision from the labor ministry, Alonso added. The push to operate the military carrier comes as Lopez Obrador has expressed his discontent with the country's airlines.

☆ Some flight attendants have their attendance tracked by a game-like 'point system' that they say values efficiency over health
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Hannah Towey | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

During a year marked by labor strikes and protests, flight attendants and rail workers told Insider that these points-based attendance policies create an industry culture that values efficiency over employee health and well-being. But workers say the point systems form the foundation of punitive attendance policies that force them to work while sick or dangerously fatigued. At American Airlines, flight attendants have pushed back on the system for years. "I don't think you'd speak to one flight attendant who thinks the point system is necessarily fair, or balanced," Anthony Cataldo, an American Airlines flight attendant of 33 years, told Insider. So we're on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year," a BNSF railway conductor of over a decade told Insider.

☆ Some flight attendants and rail workers have their attendance tracked by a game-like 'point system' that they say values efficiency over health
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Hannah Towey | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

☆ Rail workers are rallying nationwide after both Congress and management refused them paid sick days, showing that the battle for time off isn't over
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Rail workers won't give up sick leave and better conditions without a fight. However, a progressive-backed proposal to tack seven paid sick days onto that contract did not pick up enough votes to pass. "It is literally beyond belief that rail workers are not guaranteed this basic and fundamental human right. "Expanding paid sick leave access is a priority for President Biden," a White House spokesperson told Insider. There are 115,000 union-eligible rail workers across the US who prepared to walk out.

☆ Sick and family leave are top union demands post-Covid-pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Eli M. Rosenberg | Eli Rosenberg Is An Investigative Tech Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Rail workers nearly went on strike over paid sick leave. Glen Stubbe / Star Tribune via AP fileMore than 100,000 rail workers were days away from a likely strike after the rail companies refused demands for five paid sick days. Labor experts and organizers say the pandemic aimed a floodlight at the public health ramifications of in-person work, elevating for workers the importance of paid leave in contract disputes. “This was the sticking point for the railroads.”Following Congress’ resolution of the impasse, activist investors have put forth proposals to get two of the biggest rail companies, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, to offer their workers paid sick leave next year. “We appreciate the work of the negotiating teams and the mediator in reaching this agreement in principle.”Other unions are paying attention to these fights — and gearing up to make sick leave a major part of their negotiations.

☆ Rail workers are 'enraged' and feel 'mistreated,' says a union president. It could end in a holiday season strike that would send shockwaves through the US economy.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Hannah Towey | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Rail workers might go on strike in December, potentially rattling the supply chain and the whole economy. BLET narrowly voted to ratify an agreement with management, but another major union voted to reject. Ultimately, if any union goes on strike, other rail unions likely will not cross the picket line. Rail workers voted in record numbers after feeling "alienated," "enraged," and "mistreated, all for the sake of profit"The Transportation Division of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD), which has over 28,000 eligible voting members, narrowly voted down the proposal. If any union does strike, Pierce said, "no other union is going to cross that picket line in the railroad biz."

"There's a lot of anger about paid sick leave among the membership" who kept goods flowing during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Seth Harris, a professor at Northeastern University. Labor unions have criticized the railroads' sick leave and attendance policies and the lack of paid sick days for short-term illness. There are no paid sick days under the tentative deal. Unions asked for 15 paid sick days and the railroads settled on one personal day. Railroads have slashed labor and other costs to bolster profits and are fiercely opposed to adding paid sick time that would require them to hire more staff.

Train and engine service members of the transportation division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) narrowly voted to reject the deal. Three other unions that rejected the deal have already agreed to extend a strike deadline until early December. Labor unions have criticized the railroads’ sick leave and attendance policies and the lack of paid sick days for short-term illness. Beginning on Dec. 9, SMART-TD would be allowed to go on strike or the rail carriers would be permitted to lock out workers, unless Congress intervenes. The Biden administration helped avert a service cutoff by hosting last-minute contract talks in September at the Labor Department that led to a tentative contract deal.

☆ Rail workers at biggest unions split on contract, strike potential unclear
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Eli M. Rosenberg | Eli Rosenberg Is An Investigative Tech Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Workers at two of the country's biggest rail unions split over a tentative contract their leaders had hashed out with freight rail companies — leaving open the possibility of a debilitating rail strike in the middle of the holiday season. The 28,000-member SMART-TD union, which represents rail conductors, voted no on the contract, after one of their divisions voted it down. A strike could also impact the country’s commuter rail system, with the potential to halt service entirely on some lines serviced by freight rail workers and cause backlogs and traffic snarls on others. The National Carriers’ Conference Committee, which represents rail companies in the bargaining process warned about the economic threats of a strike. The Association of American Railroads, the trade group which represents the rail companies, estimates losses of $2 billion a day.

☆ Large rail union SMART-TD votes to reject labor deal as national strike moves closer
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

SMART-TD, one of the largest railroad labor unions, voted down a tentative agreement with rail management, raising the likelihood of a strike in December. The BLET, the other largest union, voted to ratify the labor deal but said it will honor the picket line. But BMWED announced it would extend its cooling-off period if one of the larger unions voted not to ratify the tentative labor deal. SMART-TD, BMWED and BRS represent more than 50% of all rail labor. A strike would affect all of the major rail operators, including Union Pacific , Norfolk Southern and CSX .

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the transportation division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) -- representing about half of all unionized rail employees are set to report results. The standoff between U.S. railroad operators and their union workers disrupted flows of hazardous materials such as chemicals used in fertilizer and disrupted U.S. passenger railroad Amtrak service in September. The Biden administration helped avert a service cutoff by hosting last-minute contract talks in September at the Labor Department that led to a tentative contract deal. The unions represent 115,000 workers at railroads, including Union Pacific (UNP.N), Berkshire Hathaway Inc's (BRKa.N) BNSF, CSX (CSX.O), Norfolk Southern (NSC.N) and Kansas City Southern. Labor unions have criticized the railroads’ sick leave and attendance policies and the lack of paid sick days for short-term illness.

☆ Rail strike potential grows, threatening to worsen supply chain backlogs, inflation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Eli M. Rosenberg | Eli Rosenberg Is An Investigative Tech Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

That’s how much paid sick leave some freight rail workers are demanding from the rail companies before they sign new contracts. Rail workers say years of grievances about workforce cuts, coupled with new scheduling requirements, have pushed them to the brink of exhaustion. But if any of the unions decides to strike, all rail unions will honor the work stoppage. Kennedy said the union had never agreed to higher wages at the expense of a benefit like paid sick leave. “A rail strike, even one of short duration, would be catastrophic,” said John Drake, a vice president at the Chamber of Commerce.

☆ With U.S. economy at risk, here's how a national rail strike could start in December
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The strike prep calendar for rail operators, customers, and logistics managers continues to be in flux with a lack of coordination between key rail unions leaving open the potential for two strike dates in December. BMWED, which represents the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees, is scheduled to strike on December 5 with the The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS). But unlike BMWED, the BRS — which can also strike after its cooling-off period ends on Dec. 4 — has not indicated whether it will extend its deadline for talks. According to federal safety measures, railroad carriers begin prepping for a strike seven days before the strike date. The carriers start to prioritize the securing and movement of security sensitive materials like chlorine for drinking water and hazardous materials in the rail winddown.

☆ Chemicals industry warns that rail strike will shut plants and cost economy billions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Ninety-six hours before a strike deadline, all chemical shipments are no longer moved. "We would expect a similar dramatic reduction in chemical shipments if an embargo were to take place this month." The start of rail strike preparation will depend on the voting results from some of the largest rail unions yet to ratify the labor deal recommended by President Biden's Presidential Emergency Board. If SMART-TD or BLET rejects the agreement, the strike date would be December 9, the day after their cooling-off period ends. BMWED has said it would extend its own cooling-off period to align with the new strike date.

☆ Amazon has changed how warehouses work in America. Some unions are using it as a chance to organize.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Amazon has said warehouse workers can take breaks for activities like using the bathroom, talking to coworkers and managers, and grabbing snacks. A worker on an Amazon warehouse floor can be tasked with packing hundreds of boxes an hour. A worker on an Amazon warehouse floor can be tasked with packing hundreds of boxes an hour. But the Amazon Labor Union, a new union led by current and former Amazon workers, said its Staten Island victory had energized other workers. "There's one Amazon facility that's being built right behind the Victorville facility as we speak," he said.

Oct 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday gave a boost to Domino's Pizza Inc's (DPZ.N) bid to force delivery drivers to bring a wage lawsuit in private arbitration rather than in court in a case from California that could have major implications for gig economy companies. Business groups have called arbitration a quicker and more efficient alternative to suing in court. Three delivery drivers sued Domino's in California state court in Santa Ana in 2020, accusing the company of violating various wage laws, and the case was subsequently transferred to federal court. Domino's made a motion to send the claims to arbitration, citing agreements that the drivers had signed barring them from suing in court. Domino's then appealed to the Supreme Court.

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