I think everyone supports key industries striking, until they figure out how many other industries depend on them. And rail is pretty unique in terms of transp

I think everyone supports key industries striking, until they figure out how many other industries depend on them. And rail is pretty unique in terms of transport cost : weight. There is no substitute. On the one hand, I'm not in favor of any industry being required to work. On the other, I do recognize critical industries have responsibilities as well as rights. A 14% raise w/ back pay + 24% raises (in total over 5 years) + no copay or deductible increases (or changes to healthcare for 5 years) isn't nothing. In general, they face the same issue airlines do: their primary cost and schedule (aka revenue) limiter is skilled labor. So they try to limit that by maximizing utilization of a minimal number of employees. It looks like in the US Congress controls railroad labor rules directly via Hours of Service laws [0], so could hypothetically create better scheduling for life events by altering the requirements (e.g. larger blocks of time, at home, in-between shifts) without railroad companies' involvement. [0] https://railroads.dot.gov/legislation-regulations/current-initiatives/hours-service https://railroads.dot.gov/legislation-regulations/current-in...