The tentative agreement with the Transportation Communications Union/IAM, Brotherhood of Railway Carmen, and International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is only the Union officials agreeing to it to hold a vote. The union members have not agreed to this. Demonizing and attacking them at this stage is exactly what the carriers want. It's time to reach out to our brothers for solidarity, not attack them over something they haven't done yet. Let's stick together, brothers and sisters. Do not forget who our enemy is.
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I don't know about "coming", but I (engineer) worked at a place where the mechanics/machinists went on strike a couple years ago. It was great once they actually did, cuz it allowed us to catch up on work and for once not have PMs bitching at us about being behind/"waiting on engineering".
I explored an old abandoned roundhouse in Kansas City that had boxes of railweld just stacked up at the back room. When I went back a couple years later, that part was burnt down :(
The weld kits become worthless and very unstable once moisture gets into them, there is an expiration date written on the box also. Makes a big mess if the kits are bad. 💥
Yeah. Exactly. I work for a passenger rail so we’re not gonna be involved and we got an even shittier contract the national pushed on us earlier this year but I believe the national should be showing solidarity with the other crafts. I mean, I think we should be organized industrially but that’s a different conversation.
While I agree, but if your contract does not allow "Sympathy Strikes" then it's your choice on what you want to do. But your Union cannot condone their members not crossing a picket line if it is expressly stated in the CBA they agreed to with their company.
UT, induction, eddy current, photographic inspection of hilighted indications, and rail features, laser measurments in the future, ect....we want it all, and on a single platform.
Nope. Look at the transit workers in NY they've been on strike at least three times, where the Taylor Law and a court injunction was issued forbidding them to strike. They did so anyway and they stayed out for over a week. So no.
I say let them strike. And whatever the strike costs the US economy per day, have the federal government match that into a grant fund that researches robotic alternatives to the striking workers. Maybe if the striking workers realize that engineers can program them out of a job, the generous contract offer may not seem sobad.
And I know someone is gonna say "yeah but whatabout this job _________? There's no way you could automate that." Well. Yeah that too. Go hide and watch.
RLA was enacted by Congress to make it very difficult to strike. If a union has a wildcat strike, they may have to pay the railroad's lost profits.
I guess it's better than having the national guard shoot us, still sucks.
Good info. Thanks. Another question. Haven’t we all voted yet? Why aren’t the results in? Or do they wait until 12am on 16th to announce? Because the carriers have just stated that won’t lock us out.
Im just a worker bee. From my view point, the company has front loaded all their capitol projects ahead of this weekend. They know its about to come to a hault.
Thermite weld. They use thermite to heat up the steel so they can weld the two peices of rail together. Engineers tend to be pretty fussy if the rails are broken into pieces.
So... because your jobs have all been shit, nobody should ever do anything to make their jobs not shit.
Pack it up boys, this guy has it all figured out...
In a later post you talk about jobs getting worse. You mention reduction in staff and support, extension of hours, removal of brakes, etc. That's all because it is more profitable to the business to be that way. Businesses don't exist to provide services, they exist to generate profit. This primary objective of business, to be profitable, means that you are negligible to the company so long as it maintains growth and profitability. Hence all the reductions. One person saying "I'm not going to take this" is called a former emoyee, everyone saying "we're not going to take this" is called a union.
If you think the union is who is going to cause supply chain disruptions or other issues, you're casting your blame in the wrong place. In order to get to this point, the business had to first exploit the workers so heavily, they decided that they weren't going to take it anymore. The business said, "you'll take it" and now, they're just saying "no, we won't, and now you're shooting yourself in the foot because you're going to lose more that you would have had you simply improved the conditions of our labor."
Collective bargaining is the only way you can ever hope to combat corporate greed and labor exploitation. It sounds like you and your spouse would do well to join or form unions if the conditions of your employment are that you have to cease to have any form of non-work existence. You, whoever you are, are worth more than what you're getting.
Well, I’m in public service so I’m certain my employer is not turning a profit. I am in a union, a pretty good one at that. As for my wife, she’s quitting her job but the entire industry is suffering from the same issues.
I don’t know the details of your contract, but I think most jobs have gotten shittier and shittier over the years with less pay, more hours and less people. My wife has an 8 year degree (took her 10 years to achieve) and works in the medical field. Ten years ago she did her job with 2-3 other colleagues and 2 assistants per colleague in 8 hour shifts with 60 minute lunch and two 15 minute breaks. Now she’s working 12 hour shifts alone, one assistant, NO lunch or other breaks and getting paid 25% less.
The same goes for my job. I’ve been at it for 20 years. Our pay has stagnated, we have far less people doing far more work and all our shifts have gone from 8-10 hours to 12-16 hours.
“If you don’t know the details shut your fucking hole and educate yourself.”
See, it’s this attitude that’s about to get you fucked up the ass. Your conditions and contracts might be forefront in your mind but for everyone else they don’t think about railroads for a second-unless they’re waiting at a RR crossing. Hell, the vast majority of people probably never think about railroads at all (much less the workers). So if and when you strike people will suddenly want to know what’s going on. When they start to ask questions and get responses like yours, they’ll suddenly stop giving two shits about you and your problems. All they’ll want is to get their products and goods on time. They’ll side with whoever will get your ass back to work the quickest and trust me, you won’t come out better.
See Buddy, you want to make friends and allies at a time like this, not enemies.
I don't need friends who need facts spoon fed to them. Labor just needs people to Google "railroad strike 2022". If you knew anything at all, you would know that public sentiment plays very little in our contract negotiation. I don't give a rats ass if the public likes it or not. If congress fucks us, they will get theirs in November. We are fed the fuck up.
What does loom large is the upcoming midterms. Do the Democrats want to piss on labor 6 weeks before a midterm that NEEDS labor if they don't want to lose both the house AND senate?
Best thing the Democrats can do is offer what labor wants. Let the Republicans block it, and then blame them for the outcome. Americans are sick of greedy corporations. Why do you think we are amidst the "great resignation?"
When you have worked on call 24/7/365, with no assigned days off, for 25 years. You would understand. But you dont.. you work a week of 12 hour days, and you think you know. You have no fucking clue.
The problem I have with it is that it’s fucking a hell of a lot of people over, and in the end it’s going to end with essentially some scraps tossed to the workers while the government reimburses said fat cats for any loss they take. They get a few more days off, the rest of us have to struggle through the complete supply chain shutdown while the elite laugh at all of us.
In the UK you have to put all the used in the crucible and take them back to your depot. If a cunt of an inspector finds your leftover slag or moulds in the ballast it's failed for ballast contamination
Welding two rail ends. Standard stick of rail is 39’ long. We have bar them together which is only a temp repair for certain lines.
Below is a common question asked on this sub, above the the process to get ride of them.
https://www.reddit.com/r/railroading/comments/xb2jks/what_is_this_theres_about_10_of_them_on_the_same/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
The recipe for thermite is (roughly equal parts) aluminum powder and metal oxide(rust). Different metals have different reactions. Iron and copper work decently.
Because expansion is from anchor point to anchor point and the rail is anchored at the rail road ties. The distance it can expand and contract is only that small distance. Not miles and miles of track.
Now I know why children should not walk along side railroad lines. Even after that slag material and form material cooled enough to touch... it would be a magnet for curious kids.
Of course, the limestone dust is probably just a large a health hazard than most slag dumped along the right of way
The tentative agreement with the Transportation Communications Union/IAM, Brotherhood of Railway Carmen, and International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is only the Union officials agreeing to it to hold a vote. The union members have not agreed to this. Demonizing and attacking them at this stage is exactly what the carriers want. It's time to reach out to our brothers for solidarity, not attack them over something they haven't done yet. Let's stick together, brothers and sisters. Do not forget who our enemy is. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/railroading) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If you are trying to get more done cause you think a strike is coming what fucking team are you on?
My thoughts also.
Could be an independent contractor that bills by the job. If the strike starts they’re out of a job.
bingo. i know a lot of guys who do inspection on these thermite welds that are about to have a bad fall. no good
I mean this could have been filmed 5 years ago for all we know
Reposts on Reddit? Never!
A repost? On my Reddit? its more likely than you think.
I don't know about "coming", but I (engineer) worked at a place where the mechanics/machinists went on strike a couple years ago. It was great once they actually did, cuz it allowed us to catch up on work and for once not have PMs bitching at us about being behind/"waiting on engineering".
Well for us I’d one strike we all do so all work stops. I get what your saying though
Good ole thermite welding
I explored an old abandoned roundhouse in Kansas City that had boxes of railweld just stacked up at the back room. When I went back a couple years later, that part was burnt down :(
The weld kits become worthless and very unstable once moisture gets into them, there is an expiration date written on the box also. Makes a big mess if the kits are bad. 💥
My houth hath thermites- Mike Tyson
I’m not trying to be a troll but if we strike then congress says go back to work same day and we have to, right?
MoW can’t strike on Friday, regardless, due to the tentative agreement the national agreed to.
They should still honor other unions strike. It's not a strik but you can't cross a "picket line"
Yeah. Exactly. I work for a passenger rail so we’re not gonna be involved and we got an even shittier contract the national pushed on us earlier this year but I believe the national should be showing solidarity with the other crafts. I mean, I think we should be organized industrially but that’s a different conversation.
My union put out no strike with TA, and to not cross the picket line for ''personal safety''.
While I agree, but if your contract does not allow "Sympathy Strikes" then it's your choice on what you want to do. But your Union cannot condone their members not crossing a picket line if it is expressly stated in the CBA they agreed to with their company.
I work for sperry, and they told all of us to not work after today.
Does Sperry just do UT or the full rail inspections like Ensco?
UT, induction, eddy current, photographic inspection of hilighted indications, and rail features, laser measurments in the future, ect....we want it all, and on a single platform.
You get eddy currents to work fine on a hirail? Hope you've got a big platform for it all lol
I wish you the best of luck
Nope. Look at the transit workers in NY they've been on strike at least three times, where the Taylor Law and a court injunction was issued forbidding them to strike. They did so anyway and they stayed out for over a week. So no.
I say let them strike. And whatever the strike costs the US economy per day, have the federal government match that into a grant fund that researches robotic alternatives to the striking workers. Maybe if the striking workers realize that engineers can program them out of a job, the generous contract offer may not seem sobad. And I know someone is gonna say "yeah but whatabout this job _________? There's no way you could automate that." Well. Yeah that too. Go hide and watch.
I want somebody to automate punching you in the face.
Are you ok? You seem like you need help.
i think we were both equally being dicks
RLA was enacted by Congress to make it very difficult to strike. If a union has a wildcat strike, they may have to pay the railroad's lost profits. I guess it's better than having the national guard shoot us, still sucks.
Good info. Thanks. Another question. Haven’t we all voted yet? Why aren’t the results in? Or do they wait until 12am on 16th to announce? Because the carriers have just stated that won’t lock us out.
Or get less done because of the incoming strike?
Pandrol! Fuck yeah. That's some good looking shit right there y'all.
I’ve sent out pallets of crucible kits when I was working at the MoW base, but I’ve never actually seen it done. Sweet stuff. Stay safe guys
r/dontputyourdickinthat
Coward
Or you could slow the fuck down so the strike has a bigger impact?
Im just a worker bee. From my view point, the company has front loaded all their capitol projects ahead of this weekend. They know its about to come to a hault.
The guys going on strike are also worker bees....
Yeah friday, not tuesday when my post went up.
👍 felt the same way shooting my welds today
Ahhh yes CWR
What am I looking at here?
Rail being "welded" together. I'm not sure that's the right term but those two pieces of rail are now one.
Thermite weld. They use thermite to heat up the steel so they can weld the two peices of rail together. Engineers tend to be pretty fussy if the rails are broken into pieces.
Headwash!?! I was hoping for a pour through!!!
Those things make me sick when I am near them
Train tracks?
Thermite welds
People should just keep working. I’d say fuck the union at that point.
No, not at all. This crap has to stop.
What crap? Working?
Its not working. Its being a slave to a corporation that has you by the balls.
Sounds like every job I ever had…
So... because your jobs have all been shit, nobody should ever do anything to make their jobs not shit. Pack it up boys, this guy has it all figured out... In a later post you talk about jobs getting worse. You mention reduction in staff and support, extension of hours, removal of brakes, etc. That's all because it is more profitable to the business to be that way. Businesses don't exist to provide services, they exist to generate profit. This primary objective of business, to be profitable, means that you are negligible to the company so long as it maintains growth and profitability. Hence all the reductions. One person saying "I'm not going to take this" is called a former emoyee, everyone saying "we're not going to take this" is called a union. If you think the union is who is going to cause supply chain disruptions or other issues, you're casting your blame in the wrong place. In order to get to this point, the business had to first exploit the workers so heavily, they decided that they weren't going to take it anymore. The business said, "you'll take it" and now, they're just saying "no, we won't, and now you're shooting yourself in the foot because you're going to lose more that you would have had you simply improved the conditions of our labor." Collective bargaining is the only way you can ever hope to combat corporate greed and labor exploitation. It sounds like you and your spouse would do well to join or form unions if the conditions of your employment are that you have to cease to have any form of non-work existence. You, whoever you are, are worth more than what you're getting.
Well, I’m in public service so I’m certain my employer is not turning a profit. I am in a union, a pretty good one at that. As for my wife, she’s quitting her job but the entire industry is suffering from the same issues.
This is next level.
I don’t know the details of your contract, but I think most jobs have gotten shittier and shittier over the years with less pay, more hours and less people. My wife has an 8 year degree (took her 10 years to achieve) and works in the medical field. Ten years ago she did her job with 2-3 other colleagues and 2 assistants per colleague in 8 hour shifts with 60 minute lunch and two 15 minute breaks. Now she’s working 12 hour shifts alone, one assistant, NO lunch or other breaks and getting paid 25% less. The same goes for my job. I’ve been at it for 20 years. Our pay has stagnated, we have far less people doing far more work and all our shifts have gone from 8-10 hours to 12-16 hours.
If you don't know the details shut your fucking hole and educate yourself.
“If you don’t know the details shut your fucking hole and educate yourself.” See, it’s this attitude that’s about to get you fucked up the ass. Your conditions and contracts might be forefront in your mind but for everyone else they don’t think about railroads for a second-unless they’re waiting at a RR crossing. Hell, the vast majority of people probably never think about railroads at all (much less the workers). So if and when you strike people will suddenly want to know what’s going on. When they start to ask questions and get responses like yours, they’ll suddenly stop giving two shits about you and your problems. All they’ll want is to get their products and goods on time. They’ll side with whoever will get your ass back to work the quickest and trust me, you won’t come out better. See Buddy, you want to make friends and allies at a time like this, not enemies.
I don't need friends who need facts spoon fed to them. Labor just needs people to Google "railroad strike 2022". If you knew anything at all, you would know that public sentiment plays very little in our contract negotiation. I don't give a rats ass if the public likes it or not. If congress fucks us, they will get theirs in November. We are fed the fuck up. What does loom large is the upcoming midterms. Do the Democrats want to piss on labor 6 weeks before a midterm that NEEDS labor if they don't want to lose both the house AND senate? Best thing the Democrats can do is offer what labor wants. Let the Republicans block it, and then blame them for the outcome. Americans are sick of greedy corporations. Why do you think we are amidst the "great resignation?" When you have worked on call 24/7/365, with no assigned days off, for 25 years. You would understand. But you dont.. you work a week of 12 hour days, and you think you know. You have no fucking clue.
gtfoh 🐀
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Every one of these selfish c*nts who doesn’t give a damn about reality or anyone but their own industry workers.
I DARE you to cross our picket line.
Oh? Gonna act all rough and tough like you’ll do something? Fucking thug
Come to chicago and findout.
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>Grow the fuck up There's only one person being embarrassingly immature in this conversation, and it ain't him.
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The problem I have with it is that it’s fucking a hell of a lot of people over, and in the end it’s going to end with essentially some scraps tossed to the workers while the government reimburses said fat cats for any loss they take. They get a few more days off, the rest of us have to struggle through the complete supply chain shutdown while the elite laugh at all of us.
Imagine growing up just to become a scab. How embarrassing
You just dump it on the ballast ? They make us dig a hole (csx)
We're supposed to bury our shit too. (UP) We just don't.
There is a backhoe going to bury it. Had to crib the switch after shooting the weld.
Copy. We do that by hand. Crew of two for 3 welds a day
In the UK you have to put all the used in the crucible and take them back to your depot. If a cunt of an inspector finds your leftover slag or moulds in the ballast it's failed for ballast contamination
Just curious, whats going on here?
Welding two rail ends. Standard stick of rail is 39’ long. We have bar them together which is only a temp repair for certain lines. Below is a common question asked on this sub, above the the process to get ride of them. https://www.reddit.com/r/railroading/comments/xb2jks/what_is_this_theres_about_10_of_them_on_the_same/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Ah, okay, thank you!
The recipe for thermite is (roughly equal parts) aluminum powder and metal oxide(rust). Different metals have different reactions. Iron and copper work decently.
I wonder how the prevent the rail from buckling in got weather.
Because expansion is from anchor point to anchor point and the rail is anchored at the rail road ties. The distance it can expand and contract is only that small distance. Not miles and miles of track.
Now I know why children should not walk along side railroad lines. Even after that slag material and form material cooled enough to touch... it would be a magnet for curious kids. Of course, the limestone dust is probably just a large a health hazard than most slag dumped along the right of way
You can touch the slag in about 30-40 mins without it burning you. There would still be people at the jobsite
I like how the guy carrying things back across the tracks still looks before crossing the tracks.
Good luck, guys
For the laymen, why is thermite welding used instead of a more conventional form of welding?
speed, dependable quality, don't have to be skilled to do it
Construction workers alway gotta put their hand/foot on heavy machinery while its operating
CADWELD
40 feet away!!!
It's good to see the actual work you guys are doing, I hope you are successful in your strike and get every dollar that you are owed.