圣诞假期临近, 全美铁路工人大罢工威胁再起

We depend a whole lot on rail workers.

我们非常依赖铁路工人。

They are at the heart of this country's supply chain.

他们是这个国家供应链的核心。

That's why there is so much concern right now that they could go on strike.

这就是为什么现在人们如此担心他们可能会罢工。

Yeah. This week, the largest of the freight rail unions became the latest to vote down a five-year contract agreement.

是的。本周，最大的货运铁路工会投票否决了一项为期五年的合同协议，它是最近投票否决的一家工会。

First off, I thought we reported this already.

首先，我想我们已经报道过了这件事。

I thought there was a deal not that long ago. What happened?

我以为不久之前就达成协议了。发生了什么事?

Yeah. Well, let's go back to summer. Back then, the railroads and the unions had been negotiating this contract for three years and getting nowhere.

是。嗯，让我们回到夏天。当时，铁路公司和工会已经就这份合同谈判了三年，但毫无进展。

It was so bad President Biden had to intervene.

情况非常糟糕，拜登总统不得不出面干预。

So he appointed this emergency board to come up with a framework for an agreement.

他任命了这个紧急委员会来制定一个协议框架。

And then in September - this is what you remember - the two largest rail unions and the railroads came to D.C.

然后在9月份--这是你们记得的--两个最大的铁路工会和铁路公司代表来到华盛顿。

They huddled with Labor Secretary Marty Walsh for 20 hours straight.

他们与劳工部长马蒂·沃尔什私下聚在一起谈了整整20个小时。

They emerged with a deal that they thought the rank-and-file would be happy with or at least accept.

他们达成了一项他们认为普通员工会满意或至少会接受的协议。

And you'll recall, Biden even took a little victory lap celebrating the deal as a win for everyone.

你们应该还记得，拜登甚至绕场一圈庆祝，认为这一协议是每个人的胜利。

But the workers still had to vote on it.

但是工人们仍然需要对此投票表决。

And here's how that's gone. There are 12 freight rail unions in all.

事情是这样的。总共有12个铁路货运工会。

Four of them have rejected the deal, and those four represent half of all the workers covered by this agreement.

其中4个工会拒绝了这项协议，这4个工会的人数相当于该协议涵盖的所有工人的一半。

Now those unions have about 2.5 weeks to try to reach new deals with the railroad companies.

现在，这些工会有大约2.5周的时间来尝试与铁路公司达成新的协议。

And if they don't, they strike?

如果没有达成新协议，他们就会罢工吗?

Well, possibly. The earliest they could strike is December 9.

嗯, 可能。他们最早可能是在12月9日罢工。

And I should point out, the railroads could also lock workers out at that point. It's happened before.

我应该指出，到那时，铁路公司也可能会把工人拒之门外。以前也发生过这种事。

But there's some expectation that Congress would intervene.

但有人预计国会将进行干预。

By law, Congress does have the power to do any number of things to keep trains moving, including imposing the contract that the unions voted down or an earlier version or extending the negotiations.

根据法律，国会确实有权采取任何措施来保证列车运行，包括强制实施工会投票否决的合同或更早版本的合同，以及延长谈判期限。

So any strike or lockout, if it were to happen at all, might only last hours, not days.

因此，如果真的发生罢工或停工，那也可能只会持续几个小时，而不是几天。

But there's still a lot of anxiety.

但仍有很多担忧。

The National Retail Federation warned that a strike at peak holiday season would be devastating for American businesses and families who are already facing higher prices because of inflation.

美国零售联合会发出警告称，在假期旺季举行罢工对已经因通胀而面临高昂物价的美国企业和家庭来说是毁灭性的。

The White House has called a shutdown unacceptable, noting the harm it would inflict on jobs, families, farms, businesses and communities.

白宫称停工是不可接受的，并指出了这将对就业、家庭、农场、企业和社区造成的伤害。

All right. So say more, though, Andrea, about what rail workers want that the contract does not give them right now.

好啦。安德莉亚，说说铁路工人想要但合同现在没有给他们的东西。

Well, a lot of them will tell you it's quality-of-life issues.

嗯，很多人会告诉你这是生活质量问题。

They want paid sick days. They want more flexibility, especially those who are subject to strict attendance policies.

他们想要带薪病假。他们想要更多的灵活性，尤其是那些受到严格考勤制度约束的工人。

Some are happy - unhappy with the raises built into this contract, 24% over five years - sounds like a lot, but the workers point out that barely beats inflation.

有些人不满意这份合同中规定的加薪，五年内加薪24%——听起来很多，但工人们指出，这几乎赶不上通货膨胀的速度。