The guy in the subway, the rider, wants some sense of resolution. If this stays in limbo much longer, the danger starts to creep back onto the scene of wildcat job actions, and nobody wants to see that happen.
So what we're involved in here is a trade-off, and the value of the trade-off depends on how much you think conditions at the bottom will get worse, and how many extra jobs you'll get. And I think the evidence on the balance is very murky. It's not a clear case at all.
While you can be permanently replaced, you technically can't be fired. The strikers have the first opportunity to take the job of replacement workers who might quit.
I think she is doing a fantastic job at trying to drag the chemical industry into the 21st century, yet retaining a pragmatism which her role demands.