re: Railroad shutdown avoided. Anybody happy about that?

Railroads are governed by the FRA, Federal Railroad Administration. The government pretty much controls them and can subsidize them. This president or any other could probably set their pay wherever said president desires.
It’s another part of the taxpayer paid for Federal scams.

I posted this in another thred, but whenever our craft was due to renegotiate our terms of service agreement such as a raise because our previous agreement had expired, if a strike happened it always went to a presidential advisory board. Everyone was ordered back to work unti the terms of raise was determined. This was due to the RR being classified as "Vital to National Defense" We got whatever the advisory board recomended.

I never recall ever getting more than a 3% raise. The RR already had 13 paid holidays 4 weaks paid vacation after 8 yrs service. Paid personel days off, paid sick days. I can't remember how many personel days per month 2 i think, or how many paid sick days per month, but it was hard as hell to use them up.
Good retirement. College tuition paid for if you had time to go. If you were forced to relocate you got to choose from 15000.00 or the RR would buy your house at fair market value plus moving expenses. (this was over 20 years ago)
I worked in the communications dept for 14 years. Wish I'd have taken one of the above rather than the 50,000.00 buyout, which was lower than the 100,000 buyout most got due to the craft I fell under.