
Today’s newsletter was supposed to be about Berlin’s plan to convert the former Tegel airport to a landscape park - not to be confused with Tempelhofer Feld, the large city park on the site of the former Tempelhof Airport (and that also starts with a ‘T’).
But that is a story for another day.
This morning, the German train driver’s union, GDL, announced yet another strike of Deutsche Bahn, starting tomorrow morning at 2 a.m. continuing until Wednesday at the same time. (Is this Round 5 or Round 6? I’ve lost count.)
This comes just three days after their last strike, which ended this past Friday.
This affects us for two reasons: Deutsche Bahn operates the Berlin S-Bahn. And, it controls most of the regional and long-distance rail traffic in Germany.
And last week’s strike was preceded the week before by a strike of local transit companies, including the BVG, by their drivers’ union, Verdi. I wrote about the transit strikes previously here - but that was before we even had the first BVG strike.
Another day, a different way
In our case, my daughter - who normally takes the S-Bahn to get to her school on the other side of the city - will still be able to take the U-Bahn or ODEG, which are not operated by Deutsche Bahn and will be running this week. We are really luck that both our apartment in the east and her school in the west are accessible by both.
It’s really a much bigger deal for our family when there is a local transit strike. No U-Bahn, buses, or trams, means my my son has about a 30-minute walk to school instead of a 10-minute ride. And my daughter has to get a ride from a friend’s parent from the nearest S-Bahn station to her school.
Yes, it’s basically been alternating transit strikes for the past two months, which - coupled with the regular construction delays and cancellations - has been playing havoc with people’s schedules. Not a lot of fun to not know how you’ll get to work, the doctor’s office, or how your kids will get home from one day to the next.
This time, my husband is on a business trip to Stuttgart - he left this morning - and is scheduled to return late Wednesday. We are waiting to see if it delays his ICE train back. Some people are already stranded out of town.
Strikes are a fact of life if you live in Germany. Almost half of all jobs are covered by collective bargaining agreements, which must be periodically re-negotiated. The right of workers to organize and to conduct labor actions such as work stoppages is protected in the German constitution.
That being said, the number of strikes in 2023, and so far this year, is unusually high.
Germany has historically been among the countries in Europe where workers went on strike the least, the French news agency, Agence France Presse, reports. Between 2012 and 2021, just 18 out of every 1,000 work days were disrupted by industrial action, compared with 92 out of every 1,000 in France.
What’s it all about?
Deutsche Bahn has challenged the legality of the current trail strike plans in court in Frankfurt. But I’m not holding out a lot of hope. That court has already ruled in favor of the union in similar challenges before.
The sticking point remains the drivers’ request for a standard 35-hour work week - down from their current 38 - without a reduction in wages. The railway has so far agreed to a reduction down to 36 hours.
And, if you thought you could bypass the long-distance train network on Tuesday and take a flight instead, don’t plan on flying with Lufthansa. Cabin crews with the German airline will also be on strike on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Citing the airline’s record profits last year, the employees’ union is asking that members received a 15 percent pay increase - or at least 500EUR more per month - as well as a one-time inflation compensation payment of 3,000 euros for each of their 18,000 employees.
Joachim Vazquez Buerger, UFO board chairman, told BBC News that cabin crews should "be able to benefit from this success".
He added the union "deeply regret" coming to this decision and asked passengers to "excuse" any inconvenience caused by the strike. …
Lufthansa said it offered to increase pay by at least 10% - but Ver.di said the offer was not enough, and that ground staff are barely earning the minimum wage despite the airline boasting a high profit.
And we may still see more strikes by bus, tram, and subway staff as well, since the local transit companies are still in the middle of contract negotiations.
More workers joining unions
Economists blame high inflation and stagnant wages coupled with labor shortages for the high number of labor actions this year.
"Workers have really felt the loss of income, they have less money in their pocket at the end of the month," Alexander Gallas, a political science professor at the University of Kassel, told AFP.
At the same time, the unions' bargaining power is strengthened by serious labour shortages plaguing German businesses.
Unions are reporting strong support by the membership for the labor actions and many unions are reportedly gaining new members now, after having spent several years with declining membership.
But labor shortages across industries have not led to substantial increases in pay or improved working conditions for frontline workers, labor leaders say. Increasingly, new workers are realizing they have to be more engaged.
The union that called the [airline] strikes is one of Germany's biggest, Verdi, which has now described 2023 as its most successful year since its foundation in 2001. Representing 1.9 million service workers across a range of industries, Verdi welcomed 193,000 new members in 2023 — a net gain of 40,000.
Other unions have seen a similar trend. The small but high-profile train drivers' union GDL, which led last weekend's strike, recently reported an 18% rise in membership since 2015. Similarly, Germany's oldest trade union, the gastronomy union NGG, counted over 20,000 new members last year.
No end in sight
No one seems to be able to predict how or when the current situation will be resolved. GDL and Deutsche Bahn have already gone through one round of mediation, which doesn’t seem to have gotten them closer to a contract.
I’m also mindful that, in 2015, it took eight rounds of strikes (including one round that lasted five days) to for GDL to get a new contract.
The online news magazine, The Local, is already predicting a difficult long Easter holiday.
Many are asking just how easy it will be to enjoy the downtime with friends or family - or squeeze in some travel plans - amid the spate of strikes which German rail, air and local transport has been experiencing every week.
So, that’s it for this Monday.
If you need me, I’ll be out putting air in the bike tires and looking into ride-sharing. Coming up Friday: More rants about the train system - including why I avoid traveling by ICE, whenever possible.
What I’m Reading
In addition to about a zillion articles about Deutsche Bahn negotiations and the history of German trade unions, here’s what else I was looking at online this week.
The Local: ‘No Family Life:’ A Berlin bus driver explains why transit workers are striking
The Local: EXPLAINED: The tax mistakes Americans in Germany should avoid
Longreads: Behind F1’s Velvet Curtain
40 Percent German: No Limit
Whitlam’s Berlin Tours: The Moving Königskollonaden (Instagram video).