Representatives of the United States’ major freight rail companies, the National Carriers’ Conference Committee, rejected a proposal from the third largest rail workers union which called for just seven days of paid sick leave per year.
The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division (BMWED) requested the addition of paid sick days — modeled on a system used for federal workers in which employees accrue one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked — last week as its members voted against a proposed contract. That contract included unpaid days off for medical care, but no paid sick days.
Clark Ballew, for the BMWED, noted that having reported more than $10 billion in stock buybacks and dividends in the first six months of 2022, rail companies “can very easily afford” to provide workers with paid leave when they are sick, as they did during the coronavirus pandemic hit before vaccines were available to employees.
“It is not unreasonable… and they’d still be making record profits if they agreed to provide railroad workers paid sick leave,” Ballew told the Associated Press.
Rail worker unions agreed not to call a strike until workers from across the industry, represented by 12 unions, have voted on the tentative deal reached last month. A work stoppage could begin as early as November 19.
The CEO of the National Association of Chemical Distributors criticized rail companies for refusing to bend regarding the demand for paid sick leave. Eric R. Byer wrote, “Now is not the time to deny reasonable benefits for a labor community that has been decimated by losses in recent years… It’s time for the freight rail industry to right this wrong and get rail back on track.”
Labor Notes reporter Jonah Furman pointed out in a tweet, " the capitalist class splitting in real time. the rail monopolists have gone so far in destroying the industry for destructive profit-seeking that their customers, big chemical distributors, are siding with the workers in reforming the freight railroad labor system."
Rail Cos. Reject Union’s Demand for Paid Sick Leave (consortiumnews.com)
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