If rail workers want more family time off, they can just pick another career instead
Other employment
The Star’s Thursday front-page story “Rail workers in KC, US pushing for national strike” indicated that one of the major issues for rail workers is time off to spend with family. That’s a noble goal, but let’s remember that here in America, we have the freedom to choose our vocation and there are many available that allow us to have time with family.
It’s well known that positions requiring time away from family typically are better compensated. Rail workers are well paid with good benefits, and I expect there are many applicants eager to fill any openings should they choose to leave and seek employment that allows more time off.
So let’s be clear: In our society, people want both the money and time off, and don’t want to sacrifice one for the other.
- Scott Burgess, Pleasant Hope, Missouri
A fair share
I am a railroad signal worker for Union Pacific Railroad. I am one of the more than 6,000 men and women who build, maintain and inspect the major Class I freight railroads’ signal systems, which ensure the safe movement of trains and protect the public at highway rail grade crossings. Our work is critical to the United States’ supply chain.
We are currently involved in negotiations with Union Pacific. As a rail worker, I am covered under a National Vacation Agreement put into effect in 1941. Under this agreement, as most readers are aware, we do not have any paid sick days. We are required to use the few vacation days we have — which are meant for leisure — to address health, family or personal issues that inevitably arise in our lives.
We have been making reasonable requests for Union Pacific to recognize our essential work and provide a small amount of paid sick leave for us to take care of ourselves or our families during times of sickness or distress.
It has been four decades without an improvement, and the railroads need to come into the 21st century.
- Michael Bussmann, Marysville, Kansas
All at risk
The Nov. 25 front-page story “Walmart shooting raises need for violence prevention at work” points out another idea to stem the horrific toll of gun violence in this country by addressing workplace violence. Although this is indeed a possible step, just as addressing mental health and bullying is, it ignores the most obvious and pressing facts: There are too many guns in our country and too many laws making it easy for people to obtain them.
The Gun Violence Archive counts 611 mass shootings through mid-November of this year. Many have been carried out with assault-style weapons, including the recent attacks at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, and at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs. Clearly, there is no reason to have these lethal weapons available to civilians.
Countries all over the world have people with mental health issues, but their rates of mass shootings are far lower than ours because the sale of firearms and who can purchase them are more closely regulated.
We believe all people in our community have the right to feel safe from gun violence, whether it’s in the grocery store, their house of worship, their school or any public place. None of us is safe until all of us are safe.
- Judy Sherry, Grandparents for Gun Safety, Kansas City
Peaceful contest
Observing the World Cup is joyful. The players’ aggressive competitiveness is balanced by great mutual respect for the other team, along with world-class sportsmanship. And all of this happens while these athletes represent countries whose governments are often hostile to one another.
It reminds me of a saying many of us have heard: “The people of the world want peace, and the governments should someday get out of the way and let them have it “
- Otto Rieke, Overland Park
