OMAHA — Union Pacific and its unions are suing each other over the vaccination requirement announced by the railroad last week.
The Associated Press reports the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division, or SMART-TD, filed suit last week contending UP should have negotiated before announcing the vaccine requirement. The same day, UP sued SMART-TD, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes, with the railroad saying in a statement that the move was “necessary to prevent any disruption of the national rail network and to avoid any impact on America’s supply chain.”
UP said it would require workers to be vaccinated by Dec. 8 to comply with an executive order requiring vaccination of all employees of federal contractors [see “Union Pacific to require employees …,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 15, 2021]. The railroad said it fits that description because it ships items for the military.
These clowns at the BLET and SMART-TD will be the first to scream when UP makes it clear they will deal with this kind of behavior by implementing autonomous trains. Remember the law of unintended consequences guys? That’s what you brought on yourselves. I belonged to the ATDA and I hope I can say they didn’t succumb to this madness.
I have had two Covid shots, plus a booster shot. It has been proved that a serious case amongst the vaccinated is rare.
I see nothing wrong in requiring vaccinations. Historically, it has been done in smallpox epidemics.
Polio would still be killing us if the vaccine had not been given to everyone.
The railroads don’t want their employees sick or dead.
On a happier note, chasing the 4014 in Louisiana was a great experience. May life return to normal soon.
Why again is getting THIS vaccine into every man, woman and child on Earth so important?
Flu seasons come and go. Flu variants come and go. Even the infamous 1918 flu is long gone, with no accompanying vaccine. It had a survival rate far below 99.7%.
Ask yourselves the right questions.
For the same reason people had to get Small Pox, Polio, and MMR vaccines…
Because COVID-19 is not the flu!!! What’s the matter with you? Over 700,000 American deaths not enough for you? The lingering effects of “long COVID” in some doesn’t bother you? Wait until you wind up on the wrong side of this.
While I would not go as far as Charles and even though I am pro-mandates– given the repeated evidence that mandates get significant portions of doubters/concerned/delayers to get their vaccine–, this particular imposition appears to have not been done with humanity and respect for individuals or the Union UP should have taken a page from United Airlines playbook where plenty of signals and support was given to employees up and past the deadline.
This is the definition of totalitarian government: if a corporation does even a tiny bit of business for the government, the government controls it.
One after another, American businesses role over and do whatever Washington tells them to do.
So to impose such a system, there would just have to be one good excuse.
Charles, I don’t think business’s are doing this because they’re rolling over to the government although they may be using the government as an excuse for doing it. They are doing it because vaccinations that have reduced Covid-19 deaths for vaccinated individuals by a factor of 10 or more.