America as we know it was built largely upon and because of our rail industry, and today it remains…
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So-Called "Railway Safety Act" Constitutes a Political Handout to Big Labor That Does Nothing to Improve Safety At All

America as we know it was built largely upon and because of our rail industry, and today it remains a pillar of our economy.

Unfortunately, a destructive proposal before Congress misleadingly named the "Railway Safety Act" (RSA), part of broader surface transportation reauthorization, threatens great harm to our railroads.

Simply put, the bill has nothing to do with improving safety, but has a lot to do with advancing the political agenda of Big Labor.  At a moment when inflation burdens American families and fragile supply chains remain vulnerable to disruption, the last thing our economy or rail sector need is another costly federal mandate imposed upon one of the nation’s most important transportation sectors.

As an initial matter, as noted by The Wall Street Journal, the…[more]

May 20, 2026 • 04:28 PM
Big Labor and Government Motors Print
By CFIF Staff
Thursday, June 04 2009

Less than a month after Vice President Joe Biden told labor union leaders that he believed that the best way to build the middle class is to help their unions grow, General Motors filed for bankruptcy protection and few in the auto industry seem willing to discuss the role that unions played in its demise.

With the United Auto Workers’ benefit plan expected to receive nearly a 20% ownership stake in what is now Government Motors as a result of the bankruptcy filing, some reports indicate that the current deal means that the union was successful in taking on less risk than it would have under earlier proposals. The question remains how much influence the unions will continue to have over the newly-structured, government-run GM and whether union involvement, particularly at the management level, will jeopardize the automakers chances for revival.

Recently, CFIF’s own Timothy Lee, a former private practice employment lawyer, joined Renee Giachino, CFIF’s Corporate Counsel and Senior Vice President, to discuss the political force of unions, the misnamed Employee Free Choice Act and why Big Labor cannot save the middle class or the auto industry.

What follows is the interview originally heard on "Your Turn - Meeting Nonsense With Commonsense" on WEBY 1330 AM, Northwest Florida's talk radio…[Listen to the interview here.]

 

Notable Quote   
 
"America's largest cities are increasing their spending at almost unprecedented rates.A RealClearInvestigations analysis of cities with at least 500,000 residents found they cumulatively raised their per-person spending by 18% over the last 10 budget cycles, accounting for inflation. The only equivalents on record are the spending surges ignited by the Great Society programs of the 1960s and Franklin…[more]
 
 
— Jeremy Portnoy, RealClearInvestigations
 
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