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Season 2, Episode 18

Railroad workers consider striking over oppressive attendance policy

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Tom Buffenbarger

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Tom Buffenbarger, an independent labor voice for America’s Work Force Union Podcast, joined the show to discuss a potential strike by union railroad workers for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Corporation over a restrictive attendance policy.

About 17,000 union workers could be affected.

The new attendance policy, “Hi-Viz,” gives employees a total of 30 points for the rest of their careers, Buffenbarger explained. Employees are docked points for days taken off outside of allocated vacation days — two points for Monday through Thursday, and four points for Friday through Saturday. Sundays are three points and holidays are seven points. If employees burn through their 30 points at any point in their careers, they are fired, losing all retirement benefits and post retirement healthcare.

Buffenbarger said the company should respect the workers who are helping the country get through the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, Burlington Northern Santa Fe is implementing a policy that makes it harder for employees to spend necessary time with their families. This will only lead to worker shortages and further exacerbate supply chain issues, he added.

Lastly, Buffenbarger spoke about President Biden’s accomplishments during his first year in office. He feels Biden has done a lot to mitigate the suffering of working people. The President is being hampered by inflation, which is actually the fault of corporations that failed to prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic, Buffenbarger added.

Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.


America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, American Alliance for Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North America, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Survey and Ballot Systems, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

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