RWU Convention hosted a session on Logistics Chokepoints at Labor Notes 2024.
by Nicholas Wurst
SMART-TD Local 1473 (personal capacity) & Railroad Workers United (personal capacities)
Worcester, MA
On April 18 & 19, ISG members participated in Railroad Workers United’s (RWU) ninth convention in Chicago. RWU is an activist organization of rank-and-file railroad workers, families, and supporters across North America aiming to unite all crafts and rail unions behind a program to transform the industry. The convention highlighted key priorities and areas of RWU work.
The last two years saw a major crisis in the railroad industry, spilling over into the public eye. RWU came to the front in the 2022 national freight contract battle and in the fallout from the disastrous East Palestine, OH derailment. While media attention on the railroads since fell off, the crisis remains. The contract that Biden and Congress forced on the majority of freight railroad workers resolved none of the issues of safety, quality of service, or workers’ rights.
The next round of negotiation for the national contract is expected to begin this fall. Last year, railroad workers watched the contract campaign at UPS and the strikes at the Big 3 automakers mobilize rank-and-file workers to win some important gains in contrast to the rail unions’ divided, business-as-usual approach.
RWU campaigns for a united front: a coordinated bargaining coalition of all of the rail unions—willing and able to mobilize the rank-and-file for a militant contract campaign and a credible strike threat—committed to only accepting a tentative agreement when it satisfies all crafts. RWU and other rail labor reform organizations and activists should develop a common strategy for agitating for this approach.
The convention also discussed the growth of the non-union railroad industry. A researcher reported at the convention that only 54% of rail workers are unionized today. Once one of the highest union density workforces, the current union leadership is clearly unable to fight back. Winning a strong national freight contract, combined with an aggressive organizing strategy, could reverse this decline. RWU needs to play a part in helping to reorganize the industry and bring union power to all railroad workers.
For the unions to rise to these challenges, they will need new leadership, drawn from the rank and file, with a vision of solidarity, unity, and democracy. Reece Murtagh, who just won the presidency of IAM District 19, and Deven Mantz, from the BMWED Rank and File United caucus, spoke to the convention. They talked about fighting to transform their unions into more democratic organizations that are willing and able to take the fight to the companies to win improvements for their membership and all of rail labor. RWU should step up its work building rank-and-file caucuses in the rail unions.
The recent battle for control of Norfolk Southern illustrates the shortcomings of the current union leadership and corporate railroading. At a time when they should be uniting for strike preparations and mass unionization efforts, the unions split into two camps, one backing the current ownership, and the other backing an “activist investor” takeover. Both factions committed to further cutting costs to prop up profits showing that corporate priorities that led to the disastrous state of the industry have not changed. So long as corporate control of the railroads continues, moving goods and people as safely and efficiently as possible will take a back seat to profit. The working class needs to be in control. All worker’s organizations should join RWU’s campaign for democratic public ownership of the railroads.
Independent Socialist Group 