Will railroad workers get sick days?
House passes provision, but faces uncertainty in Senate vote
A bill to give railroad workers 7 days of sick leave passed the House, with all 218 Democrats and 3 Republicans in support, after the House also voted to impose the tentative agreement on railroad workers that the majority of workers voted to reject. The bill now heads to the Senate, where Democrats need at least 10 Republicans to support to pass the 60-vote filibuster threshold.
Railroad workers work grueling schedules, with many on call 24/7, 365 days a year, with workers expected to report to work within an hour or two of being called in or face disciplinary action. Under attendance point systems, workers are penalized for taking any days off, and currently have no sick days.
“You don’t know when they’re calling and they can call you at any time,” a worker said. “You’re forcing folks to come to work sick because they’re scared to use points. You’re literally having them pick between ‘do you go to work sick and ill and not feeling well or do you save that time to be with your kids and your family?’”
‘Completely demoralized’: US railroad workers pushed to the brink | US unions | The Guardian
These working conditions have worsened in recent years, as US railroad carriers made significant labor cuts and lost workers to attrition, with employment in the railroad industry declining by 40,000 jobs from November 2018 to December 2020, as railroad carrier profits soared. US railroads have paid out $196bn in stock buybacks and dividends to shareholders since 2010.
“These railroads are making billions of dollars. In the past, we’ve been well compensated for being on call 24/7, 365 days a year. That’s been eroded over the course of my career in the last two decades to where it’s just not appealing enough to attract people into the workplace,” said Ross Grooters, a locomotive engineer for Union Pacific in Iowa and co-chair of Railroad Workers United.