Railroad Retirement and the Future

The battle over Railroad Retirement has been monumental. As this goes to press, it appears that the deal reached between the railroad and all the rail unions but BLE and BMWE regarding Railroad Retirement will pass the House of Representatives overwhelmingly. Although we are not happy about this and will continue to fight the Bill (H.R. 4844) with all of the ability, skill and resources we can muster, the time has come for us to recognize that this is an inter rail union battle over one issue - an important issue, but just one issue. And although this battle has been a nasty one - one that has divided rail labor sharply - there is still much more that binds us with the rest of rail labor than divides us.

A recent example is appropriate. BMWE has reached impasse with the NCCC and has requested a proffer of arbitration from the National Mediation Board. The parties are deadlocked and we believe the time has come to move to the next step. In terms of our future, this issue is actually more important than the Railroad Retirement fight because the national bargaining determines the wage levels we earn, the benefits we receive and conditions under which we work.

Because of our position on Railroad Retirement and the animosity that has developed between Rail Unions over this issue, other Unions could have attempted to undermine our ability to obtain a proffer of arbitration. Instead, all AFL-CIO affiliated rail unions supported our request for a proffer of arbitration in the national round of bargaining. This is just one example of issues in which BMWE needs the support of the other rail unions as much as they need our support.

In families, in villages, in towns, cities and nations, there are always issues which divide the people who comprise them. Many times these issues are critical and intensely fought. But in the end, for the good of the family-politic or the town-politic or the city-politic or the nation-politic, the people who comprise those groups come together to make certain that there is overall progress and that the society is able to bestow its benefits on all. Otherwise we would live in a lonely, dog-eat-dog world where little got accomplished despite an overwhelming need for the benefits any society can provide. It's just that simple.

BMWE has fought a courageous, vigorous fight on Railroad Retirement based on the position of our members and leaders. If in the end we are not victorious, it is still better to limit our disagreements with the unions who won this battle than to carry them over into areas where we are still able to unite for the membership of all who work on the railroad. It will do no good for us to carry a chip on our shoulder and can be harmful to all of us if we do.

Similarly, we need to have a realistic understanding of the politicians who are moving this legislation over our objections. In many instances they support labor, including BMWE. We can completely turn our back on the political system each time politicians act against our interests. And there are many politicians we should turn our back on because they are our enemies. However to attempt to punish politicians for supporting what we believe to be a poorly negotiated, windfall to the railroads because they supported unions which represent between 60 and 65% of those who are in the Railroad Retirement System and the railroads would simply be an example of the worst kind of tunnel vision. And some of these politicians will almost certainly support us on nearly any battle in which we get involved in the future.

It is true that the Railroad Retirement deal is a bad one for railroad workers and a good one for the railroads. It is true that many nasty things were uttered against us by them and some harsh things were uttered by us against them. It is true that politicians made us promises they did not keep and it is true that many of the other unions used deceit to get what they wanted.

At the end of the day, however, these tactics appeared to have worked for them, at least in the House of Representatives. It is clear that the House of Representatives refused to conduct hearings on this radical reorganization of the Railroad Retirement System and it is clear that the Bill which will be passed is flawed. It is also clear that if H.R. 4844 passes it will be the law of the land.

And so I am asking you to move on. Let's continue to fight to the bitter end against this Bill. But let's do it without becoming a one-issue union. There is more that binds us together with the rest of the crafts than this one issue and there are more reasons to support politicians who support us on almost every issue than to oppose them because of their handling of one issue even though this issue is important to us.

We have a critical battle facing us now in the national bargaining round. The railroads have proposed to contract out all BMWE production work and provide severance packages to those who would no longer be working for a railroad. We will need the support of the other crafts, the AFL-CIO and many of the politicians who are railroading through the radical changes in the Railroad Retirement system which provides modest benefit improvements for us and a huge windfall for the railroads.

I am certain that the BMWE membership understands this and will act accordingly, in brotherhood and solidarity with the rest of the legitimate, AFL-CIO affiliated labor movement.