{Tentative Agreement is Reached} The impending railroad strike

Update: Growly let us know that a tentative railway labor deal is reached, averting strike. (Thanks, Growly)

I remember, as a kid, my family driving across country, from New York City, New York to Sacramento, California and my dad had 30 days to get his family to his duty station in California.  He wanted to spend time with his family in Florida and he wanted to spend time with mom's family in Texas.  We had left Madrid, Spain on an evening flight to the United States and with the time difference and rambunctious kids, my dad was in no mood for any clown shows but was dad at his very best in the midst of chaos.

One of the memorial things about that trip is dad was educating us as we drove through towns and cities and he'd talk about the trains and how they were the lifeline for so many people because they had the cows  and cars and all sorts of things.

To go from being in Madrid, where everyday people speak Spanish to driving along the East Coast and us kids being mesmerized by hearing everyday people speaking English and watching the trains, as we drove down the roads was amazing.

For about a week, I've been hearing that the railroad workers maybe going out on strike starting, tomorrow, on Friday.

I had always assumed that the folks that worked for the railroads had the best of the best salaries and benefits and then I read that Warren Buffett's railroad company, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, do not give their employees sick leave.

Why do the uber rich think that workers do not need health care nor sick leave?  People want a living wage not just to survive.

Keep in mind that the last railroad strike was 30 years ago and it lasted only a few hours our nation would come to standstill, if the railroad stopped operating.

According to CNN:

If it lasts a week, a strike will mean reduced gas production, spoiled crops, a choked off supply of new cars and empty shelves at stores over the holidays. Your commute may be snarled. And for factory workers, there could be temporary layoffs in the near future.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that the unions get what they want and the strike is over quickly.