The Biden-Harris administration has taken significant steps to expand access to paid sick leave for railroad workers, with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su recently sending letters to the CEOs of three major Class I freight railroads—CPKC, CN, and CSX—urging them to provide paid sick leave to all employees. This move follows notable progress in the industry, where paid sick leave coverage for Class I railroad workers has surged from just 5% at the end of 2022 to 90% today. However, the administration is pushing for full coverage, with the remaining 10% of rail workers still without paid sick leave.
Paid sick leave has been recognized as essential for rail workers, who are tasked with operating freight trains that cross the nation’s communities. Ensuring these workers can take time off when ill not only promotes their well-being but also safeguards public safety. Workers with paid sick days are less likely to work while unwell, reducing the chances of accidents or other safety issues caused by illness or fatigue. Buttigieg and Su emphasized that the remaining rail employees should not be left behind, and called on CPKC, CN, and CSX to collaborate with their labor unions to secure this basic benefit for all their workers.
“When we got here, only about 5% of Class I union freight railroad workers had paid sick leave, but the Biden-Harris administration has pushed hard to support rail labor’s work to fix that—and now 90% of these workers have paid sick leave,” said Secretary Buttigieg. “We’re proud of that progress, but we will not stop fighting until the remaining 10,000 railroaders can count on this basic benefit.”
Julie Su echoed these sentiments, emphasizing that paid sick leave should not be seen as a luxury but as a necessity for all workers. “Workers in this country deserve to know that they won’t have to choose between getting well and putting food on the table. That’s not who we are—which is why Secretary Buttigieg and I are calling on the final three freight rail companies to do right by their workers.”
Railroad industry regulators have also voiced their support for these measures. Amit Bose, Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), described guaranteeing paid sick leave as “common sense.” He pointed out that several Class I railroads have already extended this benefit to their entire workforce, urging the remaining companies to follow suit and “finish the job” by ensuring 100% worker coverage.
This push for complete paid sick leave coverage comes on the heels of President Biden’s signing of the Good Jobs Executive Order, a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at ensuring that the administration’s infrastructure investments create good jobs with strong labor standards, including paid sick leave and fair wages. The executive order aligns with the administration’s broader efforts to improve accountability and safety in the railroad industry, which has already seen progress in areas such as crew size regulations, fatigue risk management, and certification for signal and dispatch employees.
Since February 2023, the Biden-Harris administration has been actively working to improve working conditions for the more than 100,000 employees in the Class I freight railroad sector. In addition to advocating for paid sick leave, the administration has championed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which has funneled billions of dollars into upgrading the nation’s rail infrastructure. These investments are making the U.S. freight and passenger rail networks safer, more efficient, and capable of handling future demand.
While great strides have been made, the administration continues to push for the last remaining workers in the freight rail industry to gain access to the paid sick leave they deserve, reinforcing its commitment to worker rights, safety, and overall job quality.
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