U.S. Sen. Sanders calls on six Class Is to provide paid sick leave

At a press conference held yesterday with rail workers and union leaders, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called on six Class Is to provide their workers with at least seven paid sick days.

Sanders — who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee — called the conference a day after sending a letter to the CEOs of six Class Is to voluntarily negotiate at least seven paid sick days for railroad workers employed by their companies.

Sanders noted that the six railroads — BNSF Railway Co., Canadian Pacific, CN, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern Railway and Union Pacific Railroad — made over $22 billion in profits last year and spent over $20 billion on stock buybacks and dividends.

"Guaranteeing seven paid sick days to rail workers would cost the entire industry just $321 million — less than 1.2% of [the railroads’] profits in a single year," said Sanders. "If the rail industry can afford to spend over $20 billion on stock buybacks and hand out huge dividends to their wealthy shareholders, they can afford to provide rail workers with at least seven paid sick days."

Sanders indicated he will hold a committee hearing on the issue in the near future.

Not receiving Sanders' Feb. 8 letter was CSX, which earlier this week announced it had reached agreements with two unions — the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division and the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen — to provide paid sick leave to 5,000 CSX workers. He encouraged the other Class Is to follow CSX's example.

Also participating in the press conference was U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), who voted last year for a measure to guarantee seven paid sick days to rail workers. The measure was passed by all Democrats and some Republicans in the House, but it failed to pass the Senate after it was filibustered by a minority of lawmakers.

"I have news for executives in the rail industry," Sanders said at the press conference. "If they think that those of us in Congress who voted for seven paid sick days for rail workers will forget this issue, they got it wrong. We are not going to forget this issue."