CHOO CHOO!

Phoenix AZ

Description

In 24 hours, the major players of the railroad unions will decide to go on strike. Anyone following the story knows that the corporations are paying lip service to the rank and file who spend countless hours in dangerous working conditions getting cargo and Freight onto these rail cars so it can be moved to its final destination. 60 years ago there were close to a million railroad workers moving Freight. Now there are almost 150,000. Less people doing the same work at Breakneck speed just barely being compensated for their effort. But if you listen to management and the ceos, they will tell you that the average worker only deserves exactly what they're getting. The rank and file are being forced to pay more for their health care coverage, they are getting less sick leave, less vacation time, longer hours, less frequent pay raises, and deteriorating working conditions. An engineer was quoted after having spent 17 years on the job said, they can force us not to strike, but they can't force us not to quit. When the industry loses more railroad workers because of corporate greed only then will the average American wake up and realize how little Corporate America actually cares about the little guy. In the 1930s the unions actually meant something. They were there to prevent management and the owners of big business from stomping all over their employees. But to hear the captains of industry tell it nowadays they bemoan the workers demands as if being paid a living wage is an obscene request. Isn't being paid several million dollars a year equally obscene? Since when is proper compensation and recognition for your efforts an obscenity in the workplace? There is nobody in this country with an honest opinion that can truthfully say capitalism is a bad method of economy. It is the backbone of American exceptionalism. Taken in its purest form there is no better system of Commerce. But when you introduce a kleptocratic method of achieving success, you need to exploit innocent people to rise above the starving masses. You cannot get there playing the game fairly and compensating your Workforce righteously. Didn't Jesus once say do unto others as you would have others that do unto you? How is this scenario any different?