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Comment by eli_gottlieb | Hacker News Reader

>Basically the idea is rail (and later airlines) are critical national infrastructure, and the country should not be brought to a standstill over minor contract disputes.

I have to ask: why not? That is, since it's only the goods sold by private business being "brought to a standstill", why not? Moving people or military goods under all conditions makes sense. Moving Amazon shipments under all conditions does not.

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because stalling shipments of food or medical supplies is a big problem.

because you could be costing companies that have no direct relation to the dispute lots of money.

So the courts have some power to say no, get back to work. if the conditions are that bad the employees can still counter this by quitting.

As Matt Bruenig has noted, the BATNA for many workers is dire poverty. Quitting isn't that easy.

"stalling food and medical supplies"

That's what the employer knowingly brought into risk when they decided to run understaffed to increase profits.

That's risk that the transportation provider brought. The medical company ordering supplies from some other company, who happens to use this transportation provider some of the time but not all the time, was not aware of and could not have reasonably foreseen this risk.

There are surely indemnity clauses all the way upstream. There are plenty of next day shipping options from 3 national carriers, plus same day options and just putting someone on a flight.

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