Weekend Quotables
New York Times reporter Peter Baker
“This seems like a dangerous new milestone for Trump…Needless to say, I can't think of a time in the United States when a former president (and would-be future president) has called for suspending the Constitution to let him seize power. Even after all the shocks of the last few years, this one is remarkable." — Raw Story
Railroad Strike Ban
Gabe Christenson
"It's a slap in the face," said Gabe, a registered Democrat who voted for Biden in 2020 and is part of Railroad Workers United. "People are scared for their jobs ....We need protection." — BBC
Matthew Weaver, a railroad carpenter since 1994
"It's very frustrating. Here are America's essential workers — rail workers. We have no paid sick days. It's disgusting." — NPR
Roadway mechanic Reece Murtagh
"In future negotiations, the carriers are going to remember that and use it against us. It's going to be even harder for us to negotiate a fair contract because they realize when it comes down to it, there's not going to be a strike." — NPR
Sara Nelson, President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO
“Forcing people to work under conditions they have not agreed to is supposedly unconstitutional — and it will lead to massive instability.” — Washington Post
Beau Trego, a conductor for 17 years
“I assume Biden is hoping we have a short memory. This shows that for him big business is more important than the worker’s plight. That’s for sure.” — Washington Post
Sen. Bernie Sanders
“Put up or shut up. If you can’t vote for this, to give workers today — who really have hard jobs, dangerous jobs — if you can’t guarantee them paid sick leave, don’t tell anybody that you stand with working families.” — MSNBC
Reuben Jonathan Miller, Univ of Chicago professor
“Prison is like a ghost. It haunts you. It haunts you.” — Sun-Times editorial