-- with author vanessa walk. first, the is working to prevent a nationwide freight railroad strike that could begin friday morning at would have a huge impact in the bay area. breaking news -- impact test announced it is canceling all long-distance passenger trains beginning tomorrow. joining us live is john harbor, chief strategy officer for transportation inside, a company that coordinates logistics from port to port. thank you for joining us, john. >> thanks for having me. great to be here. kristen: unions representing engineers and conductors are ready to go on strike after a federally-mandated cooling-off period ends read what do they want -- hence. what do they want? >> they are striking against the

railroads and what they really want is better working conditions. it is not so much the pay that is the issue, it is time off. it is the on-demand nature of being on call, especially for conductors. the unions that are really outstanding make up about half the work -- half of the rail workers that need to rectify this. there was a boat this afternoon with one of the smaller unions that actually agreed verbally to the terms laid out. but they have authorized a strike. and so if they can't get everyone in agreement, it is very doubtful anyone is going to cross the picket lines. we are talking massive disruption in the supply chain. kristen: right, they usually do respect each other's lines. it is freight rail, we are

talking about, explain why it would impact passenger rail service. >> we are talking about freight il arafor h railroads thaownearer. it doesn't impact the northeast corridor. however, long-hall passengers going from coast to coast, amtrak has canceled those for tomorrow. even though a strike hasn't started, things are already being canceled. they started being impacted on monday, in fact, with carriers refusing to take hazardous shipments. that a come of has moved into pearsall foods. so, even though the strike hasn't started yet, the impacts are being felt. kristen: right, because you don't want goods and people start in the middle of nowhere.

let's show the amtrak service disruptions you are talking about. other local services will be impacted. let's look. ace traits, some service could be impacted. caltrain service, they are telling us that in south cercla -- now santa clara county from gilroy to san jose could stop friday and amtrak announced it service stoppage in the west end midwest. that means the california zephyr between san francisco and chicago will not run and neither will the capitol corridor service to sacramento. they will severely cut back, six trains on the route will be canceled tomorrow. friday could be gone entirely if they don't reach a deal. let's go back to the freight read we have been dealing with a supply chain crisis all year. not enough formula for babies, not enough cars, how much worse could it get with this strike? >> it could get devastatingly worse.

with inflation numbers that just came out, the last thing we need is a slow down on the railways. and impeding the movement of goods. 30% of freight traffic in u.s. moves via the rails. very important commodities like fuel, chlorine used to treat water in treatment plants, grains, wheat and soybeans, autos and auto parts, we are talking about high-value goods that the rails are stopping and that impacts retailers. it could be devastating if we don't get this resolved before the strike takes effect. kristen: any alternatives that could pick up the slack? could we rely on your deliveries, perhaps more trucking? john: in small doses, but not on

a wide scale. there are simply not enough trucks and truck drivers available to move it to the roads. there is not enough lift in air cargo to move this off the rails and over to air and trucking. it is not feasibly possible, we don't have the assets. we don't have the labor. and it is just not want to be possible. the only solution is an agreement, and not have a strike. if we have a strike, it is going to have a huge impact on the economy. the way around. kristen: and i would also imagine a bad effect on the port like the port of oakland, where things just sit there and they have nowhere to store things. john: ports are already being impacted with imports and exports, because the ports can't get bogged down. they can't accept the goods and offload them and just leave them sitting at the ports if the

rails are not going to take the containers out of the ports. the ports are going to have to stop accepting freight. it will cause a devastating impact on the ports. kristen: since we established important it is they reached an agreement, -- they reach an agreement, what is the binding administration doing? john: they have been locked behind closed doors, supposedly, all day, trying to negotiate a compromise. but we haven't seen any progress. we have seen it going the other way. so, it is getting very close and a strike can go into effect at 12:01 on september 16. we are talking about 28 hours here, it depends on what toast you are, but at 12:01, this strike and go into effect. kristen: 33 hours looking at my clock. the point is, we are running out

of time. ronald reagan ordered air traffic controllers to go back to work and fired thousands for not complying. see anything like that happening here -- could you see anything like that happening here? john: yeah, it certainly could. the republicans are trying to push a bill across that was not approved here this afternoon. the white house can step in and prevent this. they have not indicated that is the path they want to go down. they want both parties to reach a compromise, but if they can't reach a compromise, the question is, are they going to step in? and they really are going to have to, in my opinion. otherwise, the impact to the economy could be tragic. something has to be done to prevent this from happening. kristen: already an uphill climb

for the economy right now, hopefully this won't be adding to that. john harber, chief strategy officer for transportation inside, thank you. fingers crossed. meantime, up next, would you like to know how much a job pays before you apply? a bill of the governor's desk could make that r

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kristen: a bill under governor newsom's desk could change the game for job seekers. espy 1162 would require companies to post pay ranges on job postings for the new york governor could sign a similar bill and with those states' large economies, experts say

this could spur most large economies to adopt the policy nationwide. joining us live is a net diamond, partner at a law firm. you testified before a legislative committee on behalf of the california chamber of commerce on this bill. you know a lot about thanks for joining us. >> thank you, it is my pleasure. kristen: we should mention to our viewers you are neutral on the issue, but governor newsom has until the end of the month to sign or veto this. if he signs it, the law stipulates that next may, some employers would have to make this disclosure. which employers and which type of jobs? >> it would cover all jobs in california. however, it would primarily impact employers that have at least 15 employees. those of the employer's that of the focus of this bill -- employers that are the focus of this bill. kristen: 15 people is really small business. >> absolutely. kristen: how many million people

, how many people would be covered by these types of jobs? >> it would essentially be all california workers. there might even be implications for remote workers who report out of california. we are waiting to see what regulations might flow from the bill, but it is going to be a very large population that would be impacted and have access to wage ranges for specific positions. kristen: what is the rationale for this? annette: whenever legislators are looking at pay transparency laws, the idea is to arm employees with additional information that they can use in the negotiation process. so with that information becomes very helpful to employees as they are in the job market and have information with regard to salary and how they might

decision their experience, in light of the salary that -- might position their appearance, in light of the salary that is out there. kristen: who would benefit most? and who does the lack of transparency hurt most? annette: very interesting question. i have been thinking about that and actually, i think it helps both employers and employees in this way. it requires employers to really think about the issue of pay transparency, and for their positions, evaluate where they are relative to the markets, xavier becerra to pay employees. end it does take out that hidden veil -- how they are going to pay employees. it does take out that hidden veil. some believe employers are harmed by it.

there are certainly complications when it comes to employers, particularly those that have multiple states, operations in multiple states, to think about how they might position the requirements in various states. that does create challenges, but certainly challenges that some employers are willing to and are evaluating and analyzing. kristen: when the california bill is written, does it stipulate how specific they employer needs to be in their disclosure? does it stipulate how wide the range could be? it is not very useful if it is a wide range come and do they have to put down things like race, gender, level of experience? nf: certainly not pay scale, but that is an important distinction. you can state the wage range that the employer reasonably

anticipates paying for the job. that gives employees a sense of it. and then come employers usually add some of the things they might be interested in him in terms of evaluating where in the range and employee might debate. for example, experience, you mentioned, the specific locality might impact a pay differential, how long an individual has worked in a specific area, those are relevant considerations as well. kristen: you know how some employees in large companies go rope and start some sort of google document and anonymously put out how much they make? and they do indicate things like gender and age so people can see it and go, i am being underpaid compared to the guy who has the same years of experience as me at the same age. in california, we usually like to think we need to come although i don't think california would be first. only a few states aren't doing this.

in states where they already have such a law, are there downsides we have seen? somehow, is there an unintended consequence of hurting jobseekers? annette: colorado was one of the first that came out in a significant way. colorado's law was even more expensive than some of the issues we are seeing in california. there was initial concern about whether employers were going to choose to operate in other states more so than actually has been felt. that said, i think some issues are broader than the pay scale transparency. that seems to be a movement we are seeing across other states as well. kristen: in california, what types of pay transparency laws are already in effect? for example, can the job seeker ask for the pay range in an interview if it is not posted in a listing?

annette: yes, absolutely. that has been the law. in california, applicants could certainly ask that information and employers in california and other states would be required to provide it. kristen: are employers still allowed to ask for your salary history? i always rumor of -- i always remember hating that question and never wanting to give it. nf: that is an area most employers do not ask for any more. -- annette: -- kristen: what is your advice for candidates for jobs negotiating their salaries? annette: we expect it is going to get signed by the governor. you are certainly armed with the best information availablecertay

decision, even if you have the full range. so, be armed with that information. kristen: the more information, the more leverage you have and the stronger your position will be. thank you, annette, a pleasure talking with you. >> thank you. kristen: up next, a "san francisco chronicle" columnist writes books as well. her third book is out. she will join us to talk about the story's

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(gasping) ♪♪ kristen: if you are a fan of historical fiction and want to better understand the revolution in china, a great read has been written by a "san francisco chronicle" columnist.

vanessa hua's new book is “forbidden city.” thanks for joining us. i don't have my copy because it is on my nightstand. i am halfway through it. i am a very slow reader, a two page a night person before i fell asleep. it is fantastic. the story opens in san francisco chinatown in 1960 upon the death of chairman mao zedong, who let the communist revolution, founded the people's republic of china entered the covetous party. his death is viewed through the central character of may, so give us the cliffs notes version of the plot. vanessa: may is a teenage protégé and confidant of chairman mo -- karen --

confidant of chairman mao. i was inspired to write the book a decade and a half ago. he had a troop of young women he partnered with on the dance floor and in the bedroom. kristen: this is where it gets slightly r rated. or pg-13. is that historically related or fiction, the bedroom part? vanessa: that part is true. but the novel illustrates the untold story of how these women became part of the inner circle at a time when china had so much chaos that these young women became his confidantes. they handled his correspondence, the most powerful people in the country had to go through them in order to get access to mao.

i thought it was so fascinating that may, my character, there were millions of impoverished women everywhere who had a hand in shaping history and yet never make a footnote in the historical record. kristen: why was it important to you to reimagine history in such a way as to what the spotlight on a young woman? vanessa: so often, when we see women now and the concerns of teenage girls are seen as frivolous when in fact they are engaged in life and death struggles, what we see in the dance troupe with may enter rivals, with how she negotiates the politics, all of it became a precursor for what we would see in the cultural revolution. that is one of the delights of

historical fiction, that we not only learn about another era, it is an opportunity to examine our own era and to understand that the past is never as distant as it seems. kristen: does the story have elements you feel a connection to in your family history? vanessa a: well, my family was n the move during world war ii, always ahead of the japanese invaders. in 1949, they left taiwan. this epic battle between communists and nationalists loomed large in my childhood. later, i had extensive family that remained in china that was impacted by the cultural revolution. as the american-born doctor of chinese immigrants -- daughter of chinese immigrants, i was very interested in exploring an area that i did not learn about much in school. it was not discussed much, the

sense was that it was better to focus on the future. kristen: may the central character, her journey leads her to san francisco's chinatown. what is it that you hope your book will highlight about this neighborhood we love? vanessa: growing up in the bay area and also as a journalist, it is a neighborhood i have covered for years. not only is it historic and a major tourist attraction, it remains a continuing lending spot for arrivals. that granny on the sidewalk trying to get into the wet market ahead of you, who knows what stories that she might tell? there is no way of knowing the fullness of people's experiences at a place that you may go, but only on the surface. kristen: you are doing a reading this saturday at babylon salon

in san francisco at 7:00 p.m. vanessa: yes. i am really excited. it is a great lineup. it is a pleasure. kristen: there is information on babylonsal kristen: thank you sor

joining us on this interactive show, "getting answers." we will be hear every day at 3:00 live on air and live stream. coming, our latest abc 7 special, "bark: 50 years" as the

agency celebrates its 50th anniversary if you're not stringing us, go to abc7 tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. bracing for a potential nationwide rail strike. what this could mean for the prices you pay for so many things. also tonight, the remarkable images coming in from london. the queen leaving buckingham palace for the last time. now the british public tonight paying its respects to their longest reigning monarch. thousands now waiting in line. lines expected to be miles long, for a chance to say good-bye to the queen. her casket draped in the royal standard. king charles iii and his sons, princes william and harry, escorting the queen to westminster. and the images of the brothers side-by-side, reminding the world of the images following their late mother, princess diana, 25 years ago. tonight here, the new images of the roy