7 sick days a year & a fair schedule. That is all the Railroad workers of the United States have asked for.Despite this, President Biden and Congress have seen fit to force a contract on the railroaders. Both the Senate and House voted for the contract. However, 52 senators (all of which have unlimited sick time and make $174,000) saw fit to vote down the sick time amendment to the contract. This left all the rail workers stuck with a hellish scheduling system (Precision Scheduled Railroading) and a contract that the rank and file have resoundingly rejected over and over.To really understand this battle, we needed to call in support. Luckily, friend-of-the-show Dr. Andrea Haverkamp came in clutch. Andrea takes us all the way back to some of the earliest railroad strikes in US history to help us get the whole perspective of the incredibly nuanced topic.Dr. Haverkamp is a Labor organizer for the American Federation of Teachers as well as a professor of Climate justice, queer student experiences in STEM, and engineering ethics at the University of San Diago. She has extensive experience in workplace organizing in higher education and healthcare, as well as coalition political organizing for environmental and social justice in the Pacific Northwest. Her research and teaching centers intersectional queer, trans, and feminist frameworks and an organizing approach towards social transformation. Her primary topics of research and teaching are climate justice, trans and gender nonconforming student experiences in STEM, and engineering ethics.Her engineering experience prior to academia and the labor movement includes environmental engineering positions in the federal government, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She has also served as a chemistry and physics high school teacher in Kolahun, Liberia in the Peace Corps.Dr. Haverkamp holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering with a doctoral minor in Queer Studies, a graduate certificate in College and University Teaching, and a Master of Engineering in Environmental Engineering from Oregon State University. She also holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kansas.The whole Rik’s Mind family wants to express our HUGE support for the railroaders in this fight against the Feds. Godspeed and give’em hellLike and subscribe to us on Youtube for more fun and exclusive content!https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuM080VqVCe0gAns9V9WK9wSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/00gCjGhq8qrAEkraZnMwGR?go=1&sp_cid=ce203d55369588581151ec13011b84ac&utm_source=embed_player_pGoogle Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/u/1/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmlrc21pbmQuY29tL2xpc3Rlbj9mb3JtYXQ9cnNz?Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riks-mind-podcast/id1460215365Show Notes:Dr. Andrea Haverkamp | University of San DiagoGreat Railroad Strike of 1877 | Encyclopedia BritannicaThe Pullman Strike of 1894 | US National Park ServiceEight Hour Day (1916) | US Library of CongressGreat Railroad Strike of 1922 | WikipediaFrom an 8-hour workday to Labor Day: Rail strikes that changed America | The Washington PostAdamson Act | WikipediaRailway Labor Act | WikipediaFair Labor Standards Act of 1938 | Wikipedia1992 United States railroad strike | WikipediaThe Postwar Strike Wave of 1945-46 | American History USAFor Minimum Decency, a Maximum Wage | Institute for Policy StudiesHuey Long | Encyclopedia BritannicaLawmakers consider how a Kroger-Albertsons merger would affect consumers | NPRWhat the proposed Kroger and Albertsons merger could mean for shoppers and food prices | PBS News HourWealth Inequality in Oregon Is Extreme | Oregon Center for Public PolicyIncome inequality in Oregon hits new record | Oregon Center for Public PolicyHow European-Style Public Housing Could Help Solve The Affordability Crisis | NPRImagine a Seattle that can house all of our neighbors in a collective effort | House Our NeighborsBuilding Resilient Organizations by Mauri