GOP’s New Populists Find Their Footing in Railroad Union Vote

2

So many Biden crises, so little time.

NBC: The Senate passed legislation Thursday to avoid an economically catastrophic rail strike, one day after the House approved the measure. It now goes to President Joe Biden, who said he “will sign the bill into law” (NBC). Sen. Tim Scott: President Biden kicked the can down the road in September when he claimed to have “reached a deal” to prevent the rail strike. We wouldn’t be facing this crisis if he had focused on the issue at hand instead of playing politics during an election season (Twitter). Sen Ted Cruz: A rail strike could cost the American economy $2 billion a day. The results would be catastrophic. Unfortunately, what Biden and the Democrats have decided to do is squash the demands of railroad workers (Twitter).

GOP Flexes Its New Populist Muscles in Fight Over Railroad Union Contracts

The debate over the rail workers’ contract is perhaps the most stark evidence yet that the GOP is trying to shed its reputation as a mouthpiece for Chambers of Commerce and morph into a party of blue collar populists.

Story continues below advertisement

By: The NY Sun, December 1, 2022

Debate over a bill that would impose a tentative contract on railway employee unions over the objections of the unions themselves is making for some unlikely bedfellows in the halls of Congress.

A handful of progressive Democrats have predictably sided with the unions, but among the other voices promising to stand up for the rights of workers are Republicans keen to flex their new populist muscles.

A majority of House Republicans voted against imposing the deal. A staunchly conservative lawmaker of Missouri, Senator Hawley, among others, said he would not vote to force rail employees to accept something they voted to reject unless a paid-leave amendment inserted by the House is included in the final bill.

“Mr. ‘Pro-worker’ Joe Biden wants to use the federal government to force railroad workers in Missouri & around the nation to accept contract terms they rejected. Not with my support,” Mr. Hawley said in a tweet.

Senator Rubio of Florida, another lawmaker with deeply conservative bona fides, wrote, “If Congress is forced to do it, I will not vote to impose a deal that doesn’t have the support of the rail workers.”

Another unlikely populist in the fight is Senator Cruz. According to the Houston Chronicle, Mr. Cruz told colleagues that they should not be part of the effort to “crush” unions. Standing up for the rail employees, he said, could be good politics.

Such stances among some of the country’s most die-hard Republicans are a far cry from the free-market evangelism of the Republican Party in the 1980s, when President Reagan fired more than 11,000 air traffic controllers after they went on strike.

The debate over the rail contract is perhaps the most stark evidence yet that the GOP is trying to shed its reputation as a mouthpiece for Chambers of Commerce and morph into a party of blue-collar populists who might appeal to a new working class base of voters.

Keep reading…..

The Truth Must be Told

Your contribution supports independent journalism

Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more.

Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers’ contributions make that possible.

Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too.

Please contribute here.

or

Make a monthly commitment to support The Geller Report – choose the option that suits you best.

Quick note: We cannot do this without your support. Fact. Our work is made possible by you and only you. We receive no grants, government handouts, or major funding. Tech giants are shutting us down. You know this. Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Adsense, Pinterest permanently banned us. Facebook, Google search et al have shadow-banned, suspended and deleted us from your news feeds. They are disappearing us. But we are here.

Subscribe to Geller Report newsletter here— it’s free and it’s essential NOW when informed decision making and opinion is essential to America's survival. Share our posts on your social channels and with your email contacts. Fight the great fight.

Follow Pamela Geller on Gettr. I am there. click here.

Follow Pamela Geller on
Trump's social media platform, Truth Social. It's open and free.

Remember, YOU make the work possible. If you can, please contribute to Geller Report.

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spammy or unhelpful, click the - symbol under the comment to let us know. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

If you would like to join the conversation, but don't have an account, you can sign up for one right here.

If you are having problems leaving a comment, it's likely because you are using an ad blocker, something that break ads, of course, but also breaks the comments section of our site. If you are using an ad blocker, and would like to share your thoughts, please disable your ad blocker. We look forward to seeing your comments below.

5 1 vote
Article Rating
2 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Snowedin
Snowedin
1 year ago

The strikers do not get any paid sick days and are required to be available 24/7. The price and availability of diesel will also put a stop to the trains as well.

jbavieraD
jbaviera
1 year ago

The biggest difference between the railroad unions and air traffic controllers unions are: Railroads are private run businesses, and air traffic controllers are federal employees!

Sponsored
Geller Report
Thanks for sharing!