Demand Progress

Last week, Senator Bernie Sanders demanded all railroad companies provide workers with comprehensive paid sick leave.¹

Instead of raising workers’ wages and providing benefits, rail corporations have chosen to prioritize returns to their shareholders. They’ve spent 184% more on returns to shareholders than providing basic support to workers.² That’s unacceptable.

Last year, Congress and President Biden averted a rail strike with legislation that denied rail workers paid sick leave. Congress and President Biden should not be lining up on the side of rich railroad executives against workers. President Biden should use his executive authority to stand with workers and provide sick days to railway employees.³

Sign the petition: President Biden, issue an executive order that guarantees the rail workers the sick leave they deserve!

Sanders’ office estimated that guaranteeing seven paid sick days to rail workers would cost the industry $321 million, which would be less than 1.2% of its profits in a single year.⁴ It’s time to prioritize paid sick leave for rail workers instead of trying to maximize executive payouts and shareholder gains.

It gets worse. As massive profits end up in CEO pockets, the railroad CEOs have justified these gross disparities in compensation by bragging that their profits were gained “without any contributions from labor.”⁵ As if 80-hour work weeks with no sick time off doesn’t count as “contributing.”

The arrogance is disgusting and Congress and President Biden have thus far emboldened the injustice.

It does not have to end this way. President Biden has the power to right these wrongs.

Sign the petition: President Biden, issue an executive order that guarantees the rail workers the sick leave they deserve!

Sources: 

1. CNBC, “Rail union battle for paid sick leave is back on the political agenda in Washington, D.C.,” February 9, 2023.
2. Ibid.
3. Boston Globe, “Biden can do more for rail workers,” December 5, 2022.
4. CNBC, “Rail union battle for paid sick leave is back on the political agenda in Washington, D.C.,” February 9, 2023.
5. The Lever, “Railroad CEOs Were Paid Over $200 Million As Workers Suffered,” September 16, 2022.