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US urges freight railroads to ensure paid sick leave for all

The Biden administration on Wednesday gotten in touch with three significant freight railways to warranty paid sick leave for all workers, stating 10,000 employees do not have the advantage.

Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Performing Labor Secretary Julie Su wrote to the CEOs of CSX, Canadian National Train and Canadian Pacific Kansas City ( CPKC) urging them to extend coverage.

They noted that considering that the end of 2022, the portion of U.S. rail employees who are ensured paid authorized leave has increased from 5% to 90%.

Sick leave for workers is not a high-end-- it's a need, said Su.

In 2022, railroads came under fire for not consenting to paid sick leave during labor settlements.

In December 2022,

President Joe Biden signed legislation

to obstruct a nationwide U.S. railway strike that might have devastated the American economy after some unions voted against the offer over an absence of paid authorized leave.

After that, railways started concurring in talks with unions to extend paid sick leave. By June 2023,

60% of rail workers had actually paid sick leave

, a rail trade group stated.

CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs said in a letter to the officials that two unions have actually not agreed to the same basic paid sick leave arrangements that all other unions have actually agreed.

We have actually offered the same constructive paid sick leave contracts to these unions on several celebrations, Hinrichs said. We were the very first and only railway to deal with the unions to advancement on these paid authorized leave arrangements.

CPKC, which does not work out with other railroads jointly on nearly all concerns, said it stays dedicated to and continues to negotiate the concern of authorized leave with its U.S. unions and noted it has 65 different cumulative bargaining agreements.

We have sent out formal sick leave provides to numerous unions, the provider said.

CN did not instantly comment.

(source: Reuters)