Meeting in Dearborn, Michigan, even as a growing political and economic crisis stoked fears in the United States and the rest of the world, a new caucus of North American railroad workers established an organization that hopes to spur solidarity, unity and democracy within and between unions that represent rail workers across North America. Caucus members came from five different unions in the rail industry, traveling from coasts, as well as north and south, to attend the proceedings. All came on their own time and their own dime.
In the AM session, those in attendance adopted the name “Railroad Workers United” as the official name of the organization, adopted a “Statement of Principles” to serve as a moral compass for the group, and approved, with a number of amendments, a set of bylaws to govern the organization until the next Convention. In the afternoon, nominations and elections were held. Eleven members were elected to the leadership body – the International Steering Committee (ISC). From this body were then elected an Executive Committee composed of three Co-Chairs, a Secretary and a Treasurer. Finally three Trustees were elected. For a complete listing of those elected to lead RWU, see the listing that accompanies this article. Finally, the participants passed twelve resolutions ranging from safety issues to contracting out work, from questions of diversity in the workforce to support for West Coast dockworkers union members protesting the Iraq War. For a comprehensive listing of the Resolutions passed, see the list below. For the full text of the Resolutions that were passed by the Convention, please see the RWU website [1]
Railroad Workers United (RWU) was born in the Fall of 2007, when members of Railroad Operating Crafts United (ROCU) – an organization of UTU and BLET members who wish to see a democratic merger of their two unions -- came together with other rail labor activists from the non-operating crafts and laid the groundwork for a new organization of all rail labor to build unity, solidarity, democracy and rank-and-file action among all crafts and all unions that represent railroad workers in North America.
The RWU Convention was held in conjunction with the bi-annual labor conference sponsored by the monthly journal Labor Notes. Editor Chris Kutalik, together with RWU activist Ed Michael welcomed the participants to the Conference, and encouraged the railroaders to stay for the entire weekend and take part in all aspects of the weekend long conference. In fact, most were able to stay for the entire conference and take part in the numerous workshops and plenaries. RWU staffed and maintained an information table throughout the weekend, handing out leaflets and selling RWU T-shirts and buttons to interested union activists from all over.
Many RWU members took part in a noteworthy workshop called, “Aint Misbehavin’: Confronting Management’s ‘Blame the Worker’ Safety Programs”. Led by Steelworkers Union staffer Nancy Lessin, the workshop explains how management safety programs redirect the focus away from the real hazards of the workplace and attempt to focus our attention strictly on worker behavior as a way of letting the company off the hook. Sister Lessin goes on to explain then what a real union safety program could and should look like, one that takes on the real issues, does not blame individual workers, and one that builds solidarity and worker empowerment, rather than erode the union’s cohesiveness.
RWU members were so impressed that Nancy offered to meet together with them the next morning to discuss the specifics of railroad “safety” programs, including the Total Safety Culture phenomenon that is rearing its ugly head on some major Class I carriers. The group of eight RWU members discussed ways to combat this and other management initiatives to expand “Blame the Worker” safety programs. A number of tangible developments resulted, including a video recording of Sister Lessin’s workshop, soon to be made available to RWU for all railroaders to watch at their home terminal. See the RWU website for more information on the workshop and video and how you can obtain a copy. A couple of posters have since been designed to publicize TSC and what it is really all about.
The growing squeeze on the working class weighed heavily on the minds of attendees, which led to the call for an emergency wage re-opener in all rail union contracts. Workers should not have to pay the price for the failures of national and corporate leadership, whether it be the disaster of the Iraq War or the catastrophe of the sub prime mortgage meltdown. Nor should workers have to confront skyrocketing living costs without adequate wage increases to relieve increasingly unbearable pressures on the living standards of ordinary people.
The conference closed with a spirited singing of "Solidarity Forever", led by the irrepressible labor troubadour Anne Feeney. While the gathering was smaller than expected due to a number of expected participants who could not make the trip, those present were all in agreement that the Convention was a success and laid a solid foundation from which to build. And as one Machinist in attendance noted, it was only a dozen or so founding members who originally organized many of the original rail labor organizations. And the American Railway Union of Eugene V. Debs got its start with just a handful of delegates in 1893, and by the following year had made history. RWU looks forward to building the new organization between now and the next Convention, tentatively scheduled for spring of 2010, again in the Midwest. We’ll see you there!