JOE BIDEN'S RAILROAD LABOR DEAL IS IN TROUBLE.

At the time the White House and the nomenklatura announced a tentative new rail labor contract, I noted, "Because of the way the Railway Labor Act works, there will be no general strike of railroaders until after the November elections, although there is no guarantee that the strike has been averted by the agreement currently being voted on."

The Brotherhood of Maintenance Way Employees was dubious at the announcement, and they've turned down the deal.

Members of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees union have rejected the tentative national agreement that was reached last month with the U.S. Class I railroads.

Some 56% of the rank and file voted against the contract, the union announced on Monday. Union leaders and the National Carriers Conference Committee that represents the railroads will go back to the bargaining table with the clock ticking toward a Nov. 19 deadline.

The maintenance workers might not be subject to the perpetual Aroostook Potato Rush that is the lot of train crews under Precision Scheduled Railroading, although they are away from home a lot, and maintenance windows open at weird hours.

“The majority of the BMWED membership rejected the tentative national agreement and we recognize and understand that result,” President Tony D. Cardwell said in a statement. “I trust that railroad management understands that sentiment as well. Railroaders are discouraged and upset with working conditions and compensation and hold their employer in low regard. Railroaders do not feel valued. They resent the fact that management holds no regard for their quality of life, illustrated by their stubborn reluctance to provide a higher quantity of paid time off, especially for sickness. The result of this vote indicates that there is a lot of work to do to establish goodwill and improve the morale that has been broken by the railroads’ executives and Wall Street hedge fund managers.”

Common Dreams coverage skates around the tension between the communist and corporatist factions of the Democrats.  "Major Rail Union Rejects White House-Brokered Contract Proposal."  Town Hall's Spencer Brown is less restrained.  "Remember That Railroad Strike Biden Supposedly Averted? Well..."

Hot Air's John Sexton wants to stir the pot.

A strike would be a potential disaster for the economy and a political disaster for the Biden administration which was involved in the deal reached last month. Luckily for the White House, whatever happens won’t happen until after the election. Part of me wonders if this wasn’t the deal all along, i.e. you can still vote to reject this but do hold out so whatever happens will happen after the election when it won’t be another millstone around the necks of pro-union Democrats.

The Leon Trotsky faction of rail labor wants to heighten the contradictions immediately.  "Fight against union sabotage! Prepare a strike before the midterm elections!"

Whether that's an unforced error that the libertarian faction of the Republican slate, if there is one, will exploit remains to be seen.  I see no reason, though, to amend a statement I made last month.  "For all the positive babbling Mr Biden engages in about unions, apparently the risk of a railroad strike on top of the inflation, empty shelves, out of control borders, and crime was a proletarian internationalist step too far."