[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

If you think getting people to admit that railroad strikes would make life harder for people is a win, then you’re not even in the same conversation as anyone else. Yes, strikes suck for the employer, the employee, and the people who depend on that business. This is universally understood.

In this case, it would hurt millions in many ways, and be a huge risk to a fragile economy. I get the impression that some (not all) progressives would prefer that pain vs having the union have to give in.

Can you admit that strong workers’ rights disproportionately benefit the poor and middle class and that unions exist to protect these rights?

Generally speaking, sure. I don't know that a forced mediation on an essential infrastructure union is precedent setting that will hurt workers beyond the workers directly covered by this agreement though. Do railroad worker making $110k a year with strong benefits even count as the working poor?

How, in your mind, do you measure an industry that has massively increased profits over the last two years on the back of worsening working conditions and a 30% staffing reduction (made people unemployed) that is refusing to let workers use a sick day without notice, against workers actually on the ground providing an essential service, and come out with the belief that the workers are the bad guys?

Where did I say the workers are the bad guys. This about accepting a mediated agreement that the majority of the workers across all the unions were in favor of. They've leveraged their position of being an essential service to get better paid than most. I do think there is at least a bit of gamesmanship on the union side to prioritize salary, bonuses, std benefits, PTO ahead of sick days in negotiations, and then to try to drum up public support saying they have zero sick days, when they technically have them included in other benefits. I'm sure the corporations are playing games as well. Both the corporations and unions have power and influence they are trying to leverage and there seems to be a genuine attempt by the Biden administration to mediate a fair common ground.

Pretending to care about the unnamed poor people who would be impacted by a rail strike while caring more about giant corporations shelling out billions to their shareholders than tens of thousands of newly unemployed and over 100k workers who can’t even call in sick is interesting, but I disagree with your priorities entirely.

I care about the unnamed poor people, middle class people, and rich people more than the 100k workers, because there are a few hundred million of them and I don't think it is gross of the Biden government to prioritize them ahead of the 100k workers. Biden didn't force the union to take the corporations' offer, he forced a mediation. Allowing a railroad strike would have been a big political hit to Biden and the Democrats.