STATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY WITH RAILROAD LABOR !
Dec 12, 2022 - ARCHIVED
The members of the Washington D.C. General Membership Branch of the Industrial Workers of the World (DC IWW) stand in complete and unbreakable solidarity with railroad workers as they face down a possible strike and standoff with the federal government. Major rail carriers are making record profits while working class people are suffering through catastrophic times. Rail carriers stole these profits from the railroad workers by cutting nearly 30 percent of their jobs—squeezing an increasing workload from fewer people. The rail carriers even want to force railroad workers to manage mile-plus long trains with just one person crews.
Now, Congress and the president have refused to deliver even the most basic of the workers’ demands for 15 days of sick leave in the Tentative Agreement (TA) contract the Senate just voted to ram down their throats. This is an unbearable assault on the dignity, health, and safety of not just railroad workers, but the entire working class. Imagine the derailments that will come with trains run by one sleep-deprived, worn down person who might be struggling with illnesses they can’t get treated without risking their job. Railroad workers are quitting in droves. Even workers close to retirement are quitting because they just can’t take it anymore. Other corporations, who are already robbing their workforces and the public, will see that there are no consequences for their actions—and the rail carriers themselves will never have to negotiate in good faith again.
The DC IWW maintains that an injury to one is an injury to all. We will stand in solidarity with railroad workers, whatever challenges they might have to face. Whether it’s standing on the picket line, blocking scabs, providing mutual aid, participating in phone zaps, or whatever else, we will go all out to help. Workers of all stripes—from public service workers, to baristas, to teachers, to bike couriers and more—in our branch have the railroad workers’ backs. We will not let supply chain disruptions waiver our support, for the blame is totally on the rail carriers for their outright villainous behavior.
We support any and all efforts to organize workers in the railways and the transportation industry along industrial lines. Currently the railroads are divided up amongst various unions that divide the workers and undermine workers' democracy. Only when the workers can unite and strike together can they defeat the power of the owners and their allies in the government. The IWW has always understood this. All workers have a stake in each other's well being. All companies ultimately seek to raise their profits, even at the cost of human life. Our condition is the same at the end of the day. Only solidarity between all workers can overcome this.
In solidarity,
Washington D.C. IWW GMB
