AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department President Greg Regan joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed how precision scheduled railroading has exacerbated the supply chain crisis and subjected railway workers to grueling schedules with little sick time.
Precision scheduled railroading simplifies routing networks with a focus on point-to-point freight car transportation.
The nation’s labor shortage, which led to the supply chain crisis, is not something that happened overnight, Regan explained. Its roots actually go back six to eight years when rail companies cut 20 to 30 percent of their workforce in an effort to run a barebones crew, lower costs and maximize profits. When the economy reopened after the pandemic, the demand for cargo surged, with fewer workers to handle the load. The supply chain crisis is a direct result of CEOs treating the nation’s railroads like a hedge fund, he added.
Instead of hiring more people, railroad companies have forced their limited workforce to work extended hours, Regan said. They instituted harsh and punitive attendance policies that threaten workers with the loss of their jobs if they take time off for sickness, to care for their loved ones or due to exhaustion. Many workers do not think they will have a job in a year because they cannot accommodate the strict attendance codes, he said.
Regan also talked about the need to change the definition of assault in order to better document the attacks on transportation workers. Inadequate data on worker assault makes it more difficult to institute policies to protect transportation workers, he added.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.