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3/23/2023
Union Pacific Railroad and CSX yesterday announced recently negotiated agreements with rail unions to grant workers paid sick leave.
UP said it reached agreements with eight labor unions to provide access to up to seven paid sick days, effective April 1.
Those unions include the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers; Brotherhood of Railway Carmen; International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW); International Brotherhood of Boilermakers; International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers – Mechanical Division; International Association of Bridge, Structural and Ornamental Iron Workers; and Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division.
The Transportation Communications International Union’s collective bargaining agreement already provided paid sick time, bringing the total number of unions to nine out of 13 that will have paid sick leave agreements, UP officials said in a press release.
Although all UP employees receive paid personal days off, employees represented by these unions will also receive four paid sick days annually, prorated for 2023, with the ability to convert up to three paid leave days for use as paid sick days.
Together with the clerical craft, the unions that have reached agreements or tentative agreements represent more than 40% of UP's craft professionals. Negotiations with the remaining four unions are ongoing, UP officials said.
Meanwhile, CSX reached a sick leave agreement with IBEW, according to a company press release. The agreement is the seventh negotiated with rail unions in recent weeks, bringing the total number of employees that now have paid sick leave to nearly 7,700, or 46% of CSX's union-represented workforce.
"We are pleased by the progress we are making to improve the dialogue and strengthen relationships with rail labor," said CSX President and CEO Joe Hinrichs. "This newest agreement with the IBEW is a continuation of the spirit of cooperation that we are committed to pursuing as we work together to improve the employee work experience, enhance the safety of our operations and grow the business."