BRS’s Response Regarding the Senate Proposal to Extend Negotiations

November 30, 2022 — The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS) strongly opposes the proposal of the United States Senate extending our National Negotiations. The hardworking men and women represented by the BRS have sacrificed time away from their families and their own health to keep the economy afloat through the pandemic. During this round of negotiations, the Railroads have achieved record profits and pay outs beyond those ever accomplished in history. In that same three years, our members have received nothing except the answer “NO" to any reasonable request while watching their coworkers get injured, have their jobs cut or being forced to resign for the sake of putting their family above the draconian practices of the Railroads.

The behavior and words of some elected officials has demonstrated that corporate campaign donations are their concern, rather than the welfare of hardworking Americans. Our right to strike is a right that was earned and worked for by our predecessors, some of whom lost their lives. For the Senate to override our right to strike under the Railway Labor Act is disheartening, but for them to tow the corporate line and do their bidding by extending negotiations is against fundamental principles of democracy. The Railroads have not participated in bargaining for three years with the hope of Congress bailing them out. The Railroads have put profits over people, creating supply chain issues and the current “threat” of a strike. The Senators of this great nation are elected to represent the people; it's time they leave concerns of political contributions out of their agenda and support the American worker.