Norfolk Southern has become the first railroad in North America to provide paid sick time to everyone
Norfolk Southern has become the first major North American freight railroad to provide paid sick time to all its workers. Since the beginning of the year, nearly 65% of rail workers have secured this benefit. Other major freight railroads, including CSX, Union Pacific, BNSF, Canadian National, and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, are still negotiating with their unions but have expressed their commitment to resolving the issue. Union Pacific recently reached a deal with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen Union to provide paid sick leave to about 5,600 engineers. Most of the sick time agreements provide four days of paid sick leave, with the option to convert personal leave time into sick days.
The railroads have also promised to compensate workers for any unused sick time at the end of each year. The inclusion of paid sick time in these agreements came after pressure from the public, the Biden administration, and lawmakers, including Bernie Sanders. The railroads had previously refused to add this benefit in their negotiations. The engineers' union emphasizes that providing sick time ensures the safety and well-being of train crews. The agreements reflect the railroads' recognition of the importance of employees' quality of life and well-being. However, there is still work to be done to address the concerns of rail workers, as stated by the Transportation Trades Department and the AFL-CIO labor coalition.
Norfolk Southern, an Atlanta-based railroad, is facing a significant backlog of trains following a recent service outage.