(Part of the Railroad Workers United convention, but open to all.) Hear how rail workers in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. are fighting for public ownership and worker control of critical rail infrastructure. In North America, railroading is dominated by corporate "Precision Scheduled Railroading,” stock buybacks, and mega-mergers, while in Britain rail service has been devastated by privatization and franchising, and the fight is on for re-nationalization. How can we build a national rail system that works for workers, passengers, shippers, and trackside communities?
(Part of the Railroad Workers United convention, but open to all.) By understanding production systems and supply chains, and drawing on our own experience, logistics workers can identify chokepoints and vulnerabilities that give us leverage to win. Historically workers have used this power to win better wages, benefits, and working conditions, and even to block arms from being shipped to war zones, such as to Central America in the 1980s or Gaza last fall. Lessons from those actions apply to the war on Iran today.
(Part of the Railroad Workers United convention, but open to all.) During the national freight rail contract fight of 2022, upwards of 90 percent of railroad workers were poised for a national strike for the first time in three decades... but no strike materialized. Government officials use the Railway Labor Act to limit worker actions and undermine our rights, including the fundamental right to strike. Hear how airline workers have built the power to resist despite these constraints, and how railroad workers can likewise build effective bargaining campaigns.
