97 percent of BLET (locomotive engineers) have authorized a strike that would affect the nation.

[Brickbat]

It probably will not be called, however.

CLEVELAND, October 3 — An overwhelming 97 percent majority of BLET members have voted to authorize a strike when a mandatory 30-day cooling off period under the Railway Labor Act comes to an end later this week.

Locomotive engineers would walk off the job at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on October 7, 2011, unless President Obama intervenes and appoints a Presidential Emergency Board (PEB). A PEB would halt any strike or lockout by the parties, and would investigate and issue a report and recommendations concerning the dispute.

As background, the National Mediation Board released the BLET and 10 other Rail Labor unions from mediation with the rail carriers on September 6, creating a 30-day cooling off period, which expires at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on October 7, 2011. At that point self-help is available to the parties, which means the BLET and/or any of the other unions could go on strike.

BLET National President Dennis Pierce said the near unanimous vote in favor of a strike is a clear mandate from BLET members that they are unwilling to accept a concessionary contract and cuts in health care coverage.

It is understood that Obama most likely will appoint a PEB. Still, interesting.

Properties affected:

• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by the Belt Railway Company of Chicago.
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by BNSF Railway.
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by Consolidated Rail Corporation.
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by CSX Transportation.
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Company.
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by Kansas City Southern Railway Company, including the following subsidiaries: Kansas City Southern Railway; Louisiana and Arkansas Railway; MidSouth Rail Corporation; Gateway Western Railway; SouthRail Corporation; and Texas Mexican Railway Company (locomotive engineers and train service employees).
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by Longview Switching Company.
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by Norfolk Southern Company.
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by Portland Terminal Railroad Company.
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by Soo Line Railroad Company d.b.a. Canadian Pacific.
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by Union Pacific Railroad Company.
• All active locomotive engineers, except company officers, employed by Winston Salem Southbound Railway Company.

[FarCenter]

1. Certainly would be fascinating to have all those containers of Christmas shit stuck on west coast

Should put a few million workers on the unemployment line.

[blueknight]

2. im a retired locomotive engineer

the general consensus is if the engineers go on strike the country would shutdown within seven days

[Brickbat]

3. Thanks for your work.

Mr. Brickbat is a locomotive engineer. It's a hell of a job.

[Doremus]

4. K&R in solidarity!

[izquierdista]

5. It's all coming together

First Occupy Wall Street, then Occupy (insert your city here), now a complete railroad shutdown, can we get the teamsters to go off the job? The French have shut their country down numerous times; they have universal health care and can retire at 62.

[Brickbat]

14. BLET is Teamsters.

:hi:

[Ikonoklast]

21. A Teamster strike would not shut down trucking.

Any strike would mostly affect local delivery around major cities, but only on a contract-by-contract basis; there is no nationwide Master Freight agreement with unionized local retail food distributors, fuel haulers, etc., like there is with the unionized nationwide LTL companies.

The vast majority of trucking firms in this nation are not unionized.

The excess capacity in trucking right now would easily absorb any demand for sudden increase in freight volume due to a strike of unionized companies.

Rail is a different story altogether.

[PETRUS]

22. You are advocating for...

...what amounts to "secondary boycotts." Such actions are absolutely consistent with people exercising their fundamental rights and freedoms, yet the law forbids it. The 1% writes the laws.

Solidarity.

[TeamsterDem]

6. Solidarity to all of my brothers and sisters!!! nt

[Starry Messenger]

7. k&r

[lib2DaBone]

8. What if Wal-Mart Shut down because they couldn't get anymore cheap Chinese Junk?

What if, (all of a sudden) Our Congress favored AMERICAN factories and workers instead of Chinese Factories?

[MADem]

10. They'd probably hire every truck on the road in the nation ....! nt

[Ikonoklast]

23. They would have to.

Their distribution system for non-perisshable imported retail goods is set up for containerized dry freight that first moves by ship to a domestic port, then by rail to a local rail container yard, then to a regional ditribution center by a tractor pulling that container.

And right now is the Christmas season in shipping, in fact, it started over a month ago.

I bet the phone lines between Wal Mart and the railroads are glowing bright orange about now.

[MADem]

9. Good thing we don't have a REAGAN REPUBLICAN in office.

He wouldn't appoint any stinkin' PEB, he'd fire 'em all and hire scabs.

And THAT, my friends, is the difference between a Republican President and a Democratic one.

Anyone who says there's no difference between the parties should talk to some of the fired Air Traffic Controllers from back in the day...how DARE those bastards try to get safer working conditions, reasonable hours, and shifts that allowed them sufficient rest? The NERVE of those bums!

[lib2DaBone]

11. Agree. American workers have to get pissed off... and voice that opinion.

As long as the fat-cat corporations can continue to rape workers.. they will continue to do so.

I know.. I work for a company that extracts 110% of blood for every hour of labor.. and gives nothing in return.

It's the "New Way" in the American work force.

[Brickbat]

16. Locomotive engineers are not government employees.

The president could not fire them.

[mmonk]

12. They should strike and hold firm until after Christmas or management

gives.

[lib2DaBone]

13. God Bless the Railroad Workers....

After all these years.. still the backbone of America...

[Brickbat]

15. WTF, Brickbat? Here's the link...

http://www.ble-t.org/pr/news/newsflash.asp?id=5188

[blindpig]

17. k&r

Solidarity

[pinkkillersheep]

18. This would hit my job really hard.

CSX delivers product to the plant I work at every night. We'd be shut down in about 3 days. Not that I'm insinuating they shouldn't do it, I just wonder how many other people would be similarly affected.

[Brickbat]

19. Many, many people would be affected, and because of that, the BLET has a lot of power.

A PEB will most likely be called, however.

[TBF]

20. Still have a lot of railroads coming through Houston -

we'd definitely notice here. Solidarity.

[Brickbat]

24. One more kick for the daytime crowd.

[blueknight]

25. and a re-kick

for the daytimers

[Brickbat]

26. One last kick.

[Driver 8]

27. Greetings and Solidarity

First time posting here on DU (although I have followed/read for years). I am also a BLE&T engineer of 17 years, an officer in my local Division and a proud liberal/progressive/troublemaker/rabblerouser.

Thanks you all for the support.

Should be quite interesting for the next couple of days, my phone is already ringing off the hook now.....

[Brickbat]

28. Solidarity, Driver 8!

I'd PM you but you need to have more posts first. :hi:

The clock is ticking...

[Driver 8]

29. Thanks!

I wanted to thank you for getting the message out as well.

Solidarity