Why the U.S. clamps down on rail strikes
This week, Congress passed a bill that effectively prohibits U.S. rail workers from going on strike. We dig into the history of an industry where previous work stoppages have turned deadly.
Headlines From The Times · Mike Heflin, Kinsee Morlan, Mark Nieto, Heba Elorbany, Shani O. Hilton, Denise Guerra, Ashlea Brown, Gustavo Arellano, Jazmín Aguilera, Roberto Reyes, Shannon Lin, Kasia Broussalian, Nicolas Perez, Mario Diaz, David Toledo
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (pscrb.fm) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
This week, Congress passed a bill that effectively imposed an agreement between rail workers and their companies and prohibited a strike. Politicians feared that any work stoppage would cripple the U.S. economy for the holidays, costing the country billions of dollars.
Today, we talk about the unique, violent history of rail workers trying to fight for better union contracts. Read the full transcript here.
Host: Gustavo Arellano
Guests: University of Rhode Island history professor Erik Loomis
More reading:
Senate moves to avert rail strike amid dire warnings
Biden calls on Congress to head off potential rail strike
Big rail unions split on contract deal with railroads, raising possibility of a strike